When you are Novak Djokovic, you want to get things done perfectly. Such is the aura of the 24-time Grand Slam champion that he had an unexpected incident despite leading in his Wimbledon quarterfinal match against Flavio Cobolli. The Serb lost the opening set but came back strongly to win the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead. Subsequently, both players were involved in a cat-and-mouse race in the fourth set, during which tempers flared up. As a result, Djokovic did something unusual, which caught the eyes of the tennis world.

Djokovic was seen smashing his racket against his legs as things didn’t go his way in the fourth set. He made some silly errors and found it tough to sustain the momentum. Thus, he smacked his racket against his legs not once but twice, as recollections of his 2023 Wimbledon fine resurfaced. Back when Djokovic was fined $8000 for smashing his racket against the net during his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.

Coming to his match against Cobolli, Djokovic was visibly frustrated after failing to break Cobolli’s serve in the fourth set. Additionally, Djokovic made some silly errors, which further fueled the frustration, and he eventually vented it out by smashing his racket against his legs. Nonetheless, Djokovic had a strong finish to the set, looking pumped up after signs of frustration. He closed out the set 6-4 to clinch the victory and enter the Wimbledon semifinals.

Describing the incident, BBC commentator Andrew Cotter revealed, “Djokovic rather loses his composure.” Subsequently, Tim Henman added, “It kind of sums up his frame of mind, but it is surprising you’ve just won the third set 7-5 to go up 2 sets to 1. Very unhappy. Don’t want to get that wrong either.”

Nonetheless, Djokovic got over the line with his grit and determination and set up a clash with Jannik Sinner in the last four. The Serb is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title and American legend Andy Roddick recently predicted Djokovic’s chances to win the tournament.

Can Novak Djokovic win Wimbledon? Andy Roddick has the answer

Over the past few years, Djokovic has had an excellent record on grass. He won back-to-back titles here in 2021 and 2022 and made it to the finals in 2023 and 2024. With a strong record on grass in recent years, Djokovic is certainly among the favorites to win Wimbledon, believes Andy Roddick.

He said, “Novak is just Novak. He is in this tournament to win it. I can’t be told that he is not going to be in the last four. Everything he does well at this point in his career works on grass. Novak hits the ball as well as he has ever hit it, serves as well as he has ever hit it. It changes when you get Sinner or [Carlos] Alcaraz on the other side, but I still like him in this tournament. I said it during the French Open that I still think he can win this tournament. Will he? We will see. But everything that this version of Novak… translates better to grass right now.”

Till now, Roddick has gotten his prediction on point, with Djokovic making it to the semifinals. It remains to be seen if the Serb can capture his 25th Grand Slam title here at Wimbledon. Don’t miss a moment—get minute-by-minute coverage of the Championships on EssentiallySports.