Novak Djokovic controlled his Wimbledon match against Artur Rinderknech before the Frenchman stormed to a 5-0 lead in the third set, prompting the frustrated Serb to kick his leg 11 times on Center Court.
16:29, 03 Jul 2026Updated 16:36, 03 July 2026
Novak Djokovic hit his leg several times after losing 5-0 in the third set (Image: BBC)
Novak Djokovic hit his leg 11 times as he lost 0-5 to Arthur Rinderknech in the third set on Center Court.
The seven-time former champion had a comfortable lead after claiming a two-set lead, but his play suddenly took a turn for the worse as the Frenchman became increasingly aggressive, breaking double to take the lead.
The 39-year-old looked visibly agitated as he sat down during a changeover in the five-game losing streak and extended his leg before kicking it several times in an apparent attempt to recover.
“I didn’t expect it to happen,” Andrew Cotter told BBC viewers after Rinderknech had taken a 5-0 lead minutes later. As the No. 7 seed began to hit him in the thigh, Cotter winced and remarked, “Ugh, wait… That’ll fix it.”
Retired British player Kyle Edmund, who also commented, replied: “Haven’t seen this technique before using it,” the Express reported.
Novak Djokovic also stretched his leg (Image: BBC)
Cotter went on to say, “Seriously though, him hitting his leg is something that goes away when you’re 39 years old.
You just don’t have that acceleration, that movement yet, you just start to feel a little heavy.”
Djokovic was down 0-30, serving and staying in the set, perilously close to missing his first donut on grass. He managed to escape danger and get a game on the board before Rinderknech completed the set 6-1 in just 18 minutes.
The 25th seed ended the set with an ace – his seventh of the set – prompting Tim Henman to tell the crowd: “83 percent of first serves, seven aces, 93 percent (first serves won). Just fantastic statistics in every way. I mean, this has to go down in history as one of Rinderknech’s best tennis sets of his career. 13 winners, two unforced errors. Happy days.”
This is only the eighth time Djokovic has lost a set on grass, 6-1. A select group of players who have pinned him on this surface include Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
The left hip continued to bother the No. 7 seed in the fourth set.
Holding a 2-1 serve lead, he appeared to tap his racquet on his leg once more while on the baseline waiting for his return.
Meanwhile, the BBC were forced to apologize during the match due to a faulty scoreboard.
During the third set, the screen display located in the corner of the television audience disappeared.
While this was going on, BBC cameras were forced to go back and forth to the real scoreboard inside Center Court to keep people updated on the score.
Cotter added: “We apologize for the lack of graphic, we are working on it.”
It is believed that in this case the broadcaster is not to blame for the problem with the scoreboard. The All England Club’s Center Court broadcasts also lost access to the scoreboard, which is linked to the BBC.