ANYONE for tennis? Centre Court jeers as injuries leave the fans short-changed
WIMBLEDON descended into farce and outrage as the opponents of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer QUIT in front of a furious Centre Court crowd. Both Martin Klizan and Alexandr Dolgopolov threw in the towel early in the second sets of their matches. It prompted jeers from spectators, who saw Djokovic and Federer (pictured with Dolgopolov) play for
just a combined 83 minutes. The two stars felt so sorry for Centre Court punters, they even jokingly suggested playing a one-set exhibition. Tournament organisers faced calls to clamp down on players not fit enough to compete, but who don’t want to miss out on the £35,000 prize money. Federer, leading 6-3 3-0 when his rival raised the white flag, said: “A player should not go on court if he knows he cannot finish.”
Djokovic, leading 6-3 2-0 when Klizan quit, said of his opponent: “He had issues walking to the court.”
Six players in all retired from first round matches but still pocketed the £35k in cash, the others being Nick Kyrgios (right), Denis Istomin, Viktor Troicki and Feliciano Lopez.