Novak Djokovic confronts Wimbledon referee over Centre Court roof closure

Novak Djokovic has criticised Wimbledon tournament referee Denise Parnell for closing the Centre Court roof early during his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The No.7 seed had just dropped the second set to the Canadian when officials decided to halt play at 19:40 local time.

Parnell informed the players that the retractable cover would be shut to activate the floodlights and prevent a mid-set disruption.

However, the Serbian fiercely protested the decision, arguing that natural light remained sufficient to continue outdoors.

Djokovic demands consistency on Centre Court

The seven-time former champion could not understand why the operational decision was being made so early in the evening.

“You’re so proud of your rules, and you’re not sticking to any kind of rule,” he told the tournament official.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner pointed out that during his opening-round match against Wu Yibing, the roof remained open until 20:25.

Parnell attempted to explain the rationale by referencing a similar early closure during Jannik Sinner’s recent encounter with Shintaro Mochizuki.

“With Jannik, I don’t care what happens. I care about our match right now.”

Commentators back the Serbian’s stance

The tense exchange drew sympathy from former players and broadcasters observing the dispute.

Former doubles specialist Todd Woodbridge agreed with the player’s assessment that at least 40 minutes of playable daylight remained.

“I am a bit perplexed when every other night, we’ve played to a certain point,” Woodbridge noted on commentary.

Former British number one Tim Henman, who sits on the All England Club board, acknowledged that the match could likely have continued outside.

Henman suggested the referee’s priority was simply to manage the delay efficiently between sets rather than risking a suspension during live play.