Novak Djokovic left a Wimbledon ball girl 'terrified' after pulling a prank on her during his second-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Centre Court on Wednesday night. The Serbian, who won his 24th Grand Slam title earlier this year, enlisted the young girl's help to cut the tape on his shoulder after clinching the second set to go 2-0 up.
Djokovic handed her a pair of scissors, and as she began snipping away, he winced in mock agony as if she had accidentally nicked him. The ball girl looked utterly petrified, pressing her hand to her chest in alarm. Djokovic then burst into laughter, revealing the joke.
BBC Presenter Reacts to Djokovic's Prank
During the BBC's live broadcast, presenter Clare Balding commented: "He's going to get help from one of the ball girls. Oh that's funny. He's joking. He's joking. Oh you're so funny! Poor girl, she was absolutely terrified there." Balding added: "Needle work is complete, Tsitsipas has gone off court for a bathroom break and Djokovic will be hoping very much he can wrap this up in double quick time."
Djokovic Apologises After the Match
During his post-match on-court interview, Djokovic issued an apology for the prank. "Stefanos went to change so I had some spare time. I'm sorry if I scared her," he said. He later remarked: "I guess these kinds of things surface when you are two sets to love up rather than two sets to love down, but Stefanos went to change and I had some spare time! I don't know if she's still around, but I'm sorry if I scared her! It wasn't that great of a joke I guess, but it made me a bit more relaxed on the court! I was just having some fun."
Match Summary: Djokovic Dominates Tsitsipas
Djokovic raced to a 6-3 first-set triumph under the roof on Centre Court against Tsitsipas, who has fallen from No. 3 to No. 87 in the world rankings. He secured a break for a 3-1 advantage before battling back from 0-40 down on serve to wrap up the set in just 26 minutes. The second set proved no more troublesome for the seven-time Wimbledon champion, who completed both sets within 63 minutes. He maintained that momentum in the third, sealing a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Djokovic will face No. 25 seed Arthur Rinderknech in the third round on Friday.
