Tennis Controversies of the Week: Novak Djokovic walks out of interview in bizarre scenes; Chris Evert under fire for Wimbledon commentary; Princess of Wales choosing Carlos Alcaraz final leads to backlash, and more

Novak Djokovic abruptly ended an interview after facing repeated queries about the Wimbledon crowd's behavior. In other news, Chris Evert, John McEnroe, and Nick Kyrgios drew criticism for Wimbledon women's final commentary.

Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales was accused of disrespecting women’s tennis by attending the men’s final instead of women’s at Wimbledon. Tennis fans outraged by soaring ticket prices for Wimbledon 2024 men’s final featuring Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Coco Gauff drew backlash for venting to coach Brad Gilbert during Wimbledon's Round of 16 defeat to Emma Navarro.

Also, Alexander Zverev sparked controversy by confronting Taylor Fritz over the behavior of American player's box member. Italian media faced criticism for blaming Jannik Sinner's girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya for the World No. 1's Wimbledon exit.

On that note, here's a recap of the top controversies from last week:

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Novak Djokovic stormed out of interview following relentless questions about hostile Wimbledon crowd

Novak Djokovic felt the crowd booed him during his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over 15th seed Holger Rune in the Round of 16 at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships on Monday (July 8). In his post-match on-court interview, Djokovic accused the crowd of using their support for the Dane as a cover to jeer him.

Later, in an interview with the BBC, Djokovic was asked three consecutive questions about his interaction with the crowd, which visibly irritated him. He expressed his frustration and asked if there were any questions on different topics. When the reporter shifted to his upcoming quarterfinal match, Djokovic abruptly ended the interview and stormed out.

Second seed Novak Djokovic went on to defeat ninth seed Alex de Minaur (W/O) and 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti en route to the final, which was the rematch of last year's championship match. The Serb eventually failed in his quest for his record-tying eighth Wimbledon title as he lost 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) to third seed Carlos Alcaraz, who went on to win his send consecutive and fourth overall Grand Slam title.

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Chris Evert, John McEnroe, and Nick Kyrgios faced backlash for Wimbledon women's final commentary

Chris Evert

Chris Evert, John McEnroe, and Nick Kyrgios faced criticism for their commentary during the Wimbledon women's singles final, where Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

Evert's frequent mispronunciation of Paolini's name on ESPN drew significant backlash from viewers. John McEnroe, who already has a poor reputation for his commentary, was criticized by tennis fans for his poor analysis of women’s matches.

Nick Kyrgios, although not boring in his commentary, was also called out for his past comments belittling women's tennis made his presence in the commentary booth for such a major match seem inappropriate to many.

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Princess of Wales called out for snubbing Wimbledon women's final for men's

Princess of Wales at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Catherine, Princess of Wales, faced criticism for prioritizing the men's Wimbledon final trophy presentation over the women's final amid her cancer battle. The Princess of Wales, currently undergoing chemotherapy, has been a regular presence at Wimbledon, often presenting the trophies to the winners.

This year, her decision to attend the men's final but skip the women's final sparked backlash on social media, with many feeling it suggested a lack of support for women's matches.

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Tennis fans shocked by steep ticket pricing for 2024 Wimbledon men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic

Many tennis fans were unhappy after finding out the ticket prices for the Wimbledon 2024 men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. The lowest ticket price for the center court admission was $10,600 on TickPick, making it the most expensive ticket for any sporting event in the app's history.

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Coco Gauff received backlash for shouting at coach Brad Gilbert in the Wimbledon 4R loss

Coco Gauff landed in hot water for expressing her frustration towards her coach Brad Gilbert and team during her 6-4, 6-3 defeat against fellow American Emma Navarro in the Round of 16 at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

Upset by her struggle to respond to Navarro's game, Gauff was seen repeatedly shouting at her player's box and coach Brad Gilbert for guidance throughout the match.

Watch the video below:

Coco Gauff's doubles campaign in Wimbledon ended in the quarterfinals as well. The American, who partnered with compatriot Jessica Pegula, lost 6-2, 6-1 to top-seeded pair of Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens.

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Alexander Zverev faced criticism for complaining to Taylor Fritz about the excessive behavior of a member of American's player's box

Alexander Zverev faced criticism for an extended discussion with Taylor Fritz at the net following his 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3 defeat in the fourth round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. After their match, Zverev had a prolonged chat with Fritz at the net, which is usually reserved for a quick handshake.

In his post-match press conference, Zverev explained that the discussion arose due to his concerns about some members of Fritz's overly enthusiastic entourage in the player's box.

"His team is extremely respectful. I think there's some other people that maybe are in the box that are not maybe from the tennis world, that are not maybe watching every single match. They were a bit over the top," Zverev said.

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Italian media outlet received flak for blaming Jannik Sinner's girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya for the former's Wimbledon exit

Jannik Sinner watching girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya in action during 2024 Wimbledon Championships

Italian media received criticism for attributing Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon exit to his girlfriend, Anna Kalinskaya, who retired due to injury in the fourth round against Elena Rybakina. The following day, Sinner himself was defeated by Daniil Medvedev in a challenging five-set quarterfinal match.

In his post-match press conference, Sinner explained he had fallen ill the day before, felt dizzy during the match, and took a medical time-out in the third set.

Corriere Della Sera, an Italian media outlet, highlighted that Sinner had been present for all of Kalinskaya’s matches, insinuating that her influence was a factor in his defeat.