Djokovic hit with Wimbledon fine
Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of another Wimbledon title has come with a financial penalty.
The seven-time champion has been fined £5,600 by tournament officials for an audible obscenity, making him one of 17 players punished by the All England Club during this year’s Championships.
According to Mirror Sport’s report on Wimbledon’s latest fines list, the exact incident behind Djokovic’s fine was not specified by officials, but it is believed to relate to his fourth-round match against Roman Safiullin.
During that match, Djokovic was visibly frustrated after being broken early in the third set. He shouted in anger, received a warning from the umpire and later smashed a spare ball away after Safiullin had fired a forehand in his direction.
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A difficult win over Safiullin
Djokovic still came through the match, but it was not straightforward.
Described by The Guardian’s match report, the Serbian beat Safiullin 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to reach another Wimbledon quarter-final.
The result also gave Djokovic his 106th Wimbledon singles win, taking him past Roger Federer for the most men’s singles victories in the tournament’s history.
But the performance was marked by irritation as much as control. Safiullin pushed Djokovic harder than expected, and the former world number one struggled at times to keep his emotions in check.
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Djokovic admits frustration boiled over
Djokovic did not try to hide his frustration afterwards.
According to Tennis Majors’ report on his post-match comments, he admitted that emotional outbursts can sometimes become part of the way he handles pressure during matches.
“Sometimes it helps to kind of just filter things that are building inside,” Djokovic said.
He then made it clear that he was not proud of the warning or the behaviour that led to it.
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“Not something I’m proud of when I get warning or something like that, I have a meltdown. Not something I’m looking for, for sure. But when it happens, it happens. Just try to eliminate it, not think about it too long, move on to the next point and the next task at hand.”
The comments offer a familiar glimpse of Djokovic’s competitive edge. Even at 39, he remains driven by the same intensity that has defined much of his career.
Wimbledon cracks down on conduct
Djokovic is far from the only player to be punished.
The latest list of fines shows that Wimbledon officials have sanctioned players for a range of code violations, including audible obscenities, racket abuse, unsportsmanlike conduct and dress code breaches.
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Joao Fonseca and Hubert Hurkacz were both fined £5,600, while Julian Cash received the same penalty for a dress code violation. Andre Goransson was fined £3,700 for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Tamara Korpatsch was given a £2,200 penalty.
Earlier in the tournament, players including Damir Dzumhur, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Corentin Moutet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert were also fined for various offences.
According to Tennis365’s report on the first wave of Wimbledon fines, the All England Club had already issued more than £34,000 in penalties during the first week alone.
Another edge to Djokovic’s campaign
The fine is unlikely to distract Djokovic for long, but it adds another edge to his Wimbledon run.
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He is chasing an eighth title at the All England Club, which would move him level with Federer’s men’s record at the tournament. He is also still hunting a 25th Grand Slam singles title.
That pressure is part of what continues to make Djokovic dangerous, but it can also spill over.
Against Safiullin, it did exactly that.
For Wimbledon officials, the message is clear: reputation does not matter when the code of conduct is breached.
For Djokovic, the response is just as familiar. Acknowledge it, move on, and return to the next point.
