Novak Djokovic docked point for breaking Wimbledon protocol as John McEnroe slams ‘absurd’ call

NOVAK DJOKOVIC was docked a point for breaking Wimbledon protocol during his semi-final showdown with Jannik Sinner.

The No2 seed, vying for an eighth title at the All England Club, was a set and a break up at the time.

Djokovic thumped a backhand down the line but let out an almighty grunt.

However, British umpire Richard Haigh deemed the shriek to be too late and off-putting to Italian ace Sinner.

Haigh immediately called “hindrance”, leaving Djokovic gobsmacked.

The Serbian superstar slumped to his knees in absolute disbelief.

And John McEnroe, another Wimbledon legend, was left stunned at the decision.

Speaking on ESPN, the US hothead said: “That’s absurd – that’s crazy.

“That’s just a horrible call.”

Many fans agreed with the former tennis star, with one person tweeting: “Not harsh, it’s totally ridiculous!”

Another added: “No other player on tour except Novak would have been called hinderance for that! The agenda against him is a farce.”

While a third wrote: “Total joke. Embarrassing from that umpire.”

However, some tennis fans appeared to disagree.

One person tweeted: “I agree with the umpire – he didn’t shout as he played his shot, but some time after…”

Another added: “Fair call. He didn’t make the noise when he hit the ball. It came when the ball was over the net and Sinner was preparing to hit it.”

A third said: “It’s the right call he screams well after he hit the ball.”

While a fourth joked: “Bro took 3 working days to grunt after hitting his shot, of course that’s a hindrance.”

Djokovic went on to beat Sinner 3-6, 4-6, 6-7 despite the incident.