NOVAK DJOKOVIC launched a foul-mouthed blast as he struggled with conditions on Centre Court against Alex de Minaur.
The Serb was not at the races as Katie Boulter’s fiance easily took the first set 6-1 – the first time Djokovic has ever lost an opening Wimbledon set by that margin.
Djokovic then took an attritional second set 6-4 to level the match, while still appearing to struggle with the wind.
And frustrations boiled over in the third when the seven-time champion placed an easy-looking return well out of play.
He then launched an X-rated rant at the top of his voice in his native Serbian.
The Serb was accused by fans of saying: “F*** you, f*** you, what a f***ing spin.”
There were audible gasps from the crowd before hushed silence set in with fans on Centre Court – despite probably not being able to understand what he said – being surprised at the sheer volume of his outburst.
One Djokovic fan took to X to say: “Hahahahahaha I am not feeling well..”
While a detractor posted: “This is why Djokovic isn’t nearly as respected as his peers…”
If the umpire had understood what Djokovic had said, he would have picked up a code violation and been warned for the misdemeanour.
In the event of a second code violation, players are forced to forfeit a point, followed by a game for a third and finally, the match for a fourth.
In a tongue-in-cheek interview in 2023, Djokovic told Eurosport that he was trying to work out new ways of swearing in his own language to avoid falling foul of umpires.
He said: “The problem we have, because of the success of Croatian and Serbian players in the last 30 years or so, we unfortunately have a situation where most of the umpires understand the swearing words.
“So we have to play around a little bit, we have to use the slang, create new words, but when you’re p***ed off you don’t think about creating.”
Despite his early troubles, Djokovic saw off his Australian rival 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
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