Novak Djokovic criticises Wimbledon over early Centre Court roof closure
Novak Djokovic has criticised Wimbledon tournament officials for closing the Centre Court roof prematurely during his quarter-final match against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The Serbian was angered when tournament referee Denise Parnell opted to shut the retractable structure at 7:40pm local time following the end of the second set.
With sunset not scheduled until after 9:15pm, the 24-time Grand Slam champion argued there was ample daylight remaining to continue play in natural conditions.
Parnell defended the decision by citing the need to avoid halting the match midway through a subsequent set as the evening progressed.
‘We are an outdoor tournament’
The explanation did not satisfy the tournament favourite, who confronted the umpire over the perceived inconsistency of the timing.
“Why now? Why? The other day you didn’t want to close it until, like, 8.20, 8.30, and now you want to close it?”
“You don’t want to get to 8.30? It’s 7.40 now. We can play a whole another set. Outdoors. We are an outdoor tournament.”
When Parnell referenced earlier roof protocols used during Jannik Sinner’s fourth-round tie, the frustrated veteran dismissed the comparison.
“With Jannik, I don’t care what happens. I care about our match right now.”
The debate over the use of the Centre Court roof, originally installed to prevent rain delays, has frequently resurfaced during late evening sessions at SW19.
Nadal and Murray echo roof concerns
Djokovic is not alone in his discontent, as historic rivals Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have previously voiced identical grievances.
The Spanish 14-time French Open winner famously questioned the logic of keeping the roof closed during his 2018 semi-final defeat to the Belgrade native despite dry weather.
“I don’t think it’s right, it’s an outdoor tournament. If the previous part of the match started with the roof on, there was logic, but I don’t understand why it had to be closed.”
Meanwhile, the two-time Wimbledon champion from Scotland has historically criticised the lack of communication from officials regarding scheduled roof closures.
Murray has previously noted that the enclosed environment severely alters playing conditions by increasing humidity and making the tennis balls significantly heavier.