Novak Djokovic backs Andy Murray in Wimbledon row as 2024 plan drawn up

Tennis fans react to Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon win

Novak Djokovic fell foul of Wimbledon chiefs once again during his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, with the Spaniard edging a five-set thriller to claim the spoils at SW19 for the very first time. Djokovic struggled to control his anger in a fit of rage during the fifth set, which saw him retrospectively fined after smashing his racket into the net post.

The Serb also recently called out Wimbledon organisers regarding the established 11pm curfew, while he was caught up in a storm during his semi-final win over Jannik Sinner when he was docked a point for grunting excessively.

Express Sport takes a look at Djokovic’s ongoing row with those in power at Wimbledon, with the 36-year-old having joined Andy Murray in calling for some important changes to be made…

Djokovic backs Murray view

Djokovic recently insisted that Centre Court matches should begin earlier in the day after seeing his victory over Hubert Hurkacz disrupted by the late-night curfew at SW19. The likes of Andy and Jamie Murray previously made their views clear before Djokovic offered his backing when quizzed on whether the 1.30pm start time could be scrapped to improve the schedule.

“Obviously curfew is probably something that is much more difficult to change, I understand, because of the community and the residential area we are in,” said the Serb. “I think the matches could be pushed at least to start at 12pm. I think it would make a difference.”

It came after Murray retweeted an article by The Times calling for Wimbledon chiefs to scrap 1.30pm starts by moving everything back at least an hour, which would help to get matches done before the nightly cut-off point.

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SW19 chief on BBC ‘input’

All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton went on to defend the 1.30pm starts by pointing to the healthy viewing figures at Wimbledon, while she also insisted that the BBC were not responsible for the timings as they cannot dictate when matches will be played.

When asked if the BBC had been resisting changes to the start time on Centre Court, Bolton said: “No. The broadcasters are one of the stakeholders that we consult as we put together all of the plans for the championships but no, they’re not having a direct input into start time on court.

“And as far as the TV audience is concerned, matches are happening at a time when they’re accessible to people. We’re seeing viewing figures that are beyond our expectations and beyond previous years, so I think they probably speak for themselves.”

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Current plan for 2024

There is currently no expectation that Djokovic will get his own way at Wimbledon, with tournament chiefs still refusing to change the Centre Court schedule as things stand. Instead, there are concerns that millions would need to be paid out to broadcasters to bring the 1.30pm start time forward, according to the Daily Mail.

Contracts would reportedly need to be negotiated again if Centre Court matches started at midday, while the 11pm curfew is also set in stone as Wimbledon chiefs look to avoid clashing with local residents.

An official All England Club statement read: “We have traditionally begun play early in the afternoon on Centre and No 1 Courts with the aim of having those courts as full as possible for when the players walk on court. This is a key point of difference at Wimbledon compared to other tournaments.”

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