Wimbledon 2023is well underway, with the last semi-final matches taking place today between Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. The winner of this match will move on to the Wimbledon finals against Novak Djokovic, who defeated Jannik Sinner to claim his spot in the final.
During the second set of the semi-finals between Sinner and Djokovic, a rarely heard call was made on Djokovic, awarding the point to Sinner. With a booming call from the official, “Hindrance” echoed over the crowd, ending the point. But what exactly is a hindrance, and why was Djokovic at fault? Read on to find out.
RELATED:The Best Mario Sports Games
What is Hindrance in Tennis?
In Tennis,hindrance is called when an outside force directly impacts a player’s ability to play the ball, similar to a shooting foul in basketball or a pass interference in football. This can include distractions or interruptions caused by audience members, nature (such as an empty cup or a squirrel making its way to the court midpoint), or the opposing players. Hindrance will not be called on any interruptions caused by themselves or members of their team. In the case of an outside distraction from the audience or nature, an unintentional hindrance will be called, and the point will be replayed.
Unintentional hindrances can also be called against opposing players if they accidentally cause a distraction, such as shouting as a result of an injury or losing an article of clothing or an accessory mid-play. As witnessed in Djokovic’s semi-final match, if the opposing player is found to be purposefully at fault, an intentional hindrance will be called, and the point will be awarded to the affected player.
How did Djokovic Cause a Hindrance?
Hindrance is not a call often made at the Wimbledon tournament, so viewers may have been just as confused as Djokovic when the call was made. In this particular case, the cause of the hindrance was along grunt made by Djokovic upon returning the ball to Sinner.
While grunting after a hit in tennis can be common, prolonged grunts that extend into the time when your opponent is lining up their return will count as an audible distraction, initially resulting in a warning that will lead to a hindrance call upon further infractions.
Having been previously warned, Djokovic again returned the ball with a grunt that was slightly delayed from his hit, causing his grunt to extend into the time when Sinner was hitting the ball. This resulted in Sinner being awarded the point, much to Djokovic’s confusion. Despite this call, Djokovic went on to secure his spot in the final, defeating Sinner 3-0.
