Novak Djokovic, the No. 2 seed at Wimbledon, was fighting for a point in the second set of the men’s semifinals against No. 8 Jannik Sinner when the chair umpire called out one word that stopped play.
“HINDRANCE.”
For those unfamiliar, hindrance is called when a player or non-player intentionally or unintentionally interferes with another players ability on the court. If intentional, the perpetrator will lose the point. If unintentional — think a bird flying down or a headband coming off mid-play — they will simply replay the point.
Sinner was awarded the point, meaning the chair umpire deemed Djokovic acted intentionally.
So, what did he do? Well, he grunted too long.
Djokovic was called for 'hindrance' on this play and the point was given to Sinner 🔉 pic.twitter.com/J5QoJkDbl4
— ESPN (@espn) July 14, 2023
He clearly didn’t agree, but the point went to Sinner. What do you think? Did he grunt too long?
