Wimbledon 2024: Top five most controversial moments ft. Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and more

Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova are the Wimbledon 2024 Champions.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to register back-to-back Wimbledon titles. It was an unforgettable day for the 21-year-old, whose victory shattered several records. Many saw his win over the Serb as a symbolic passing of the baton. The centre court witnessed the rare sight of the 37-year-old legend, looking clueless and being thoroughly outplayed.

The Spaniard’s victory also ensured that the record for the most Wimbledon titles in men’s singles remains with the Swiss legend, Roger Federer. Barbora Krejcikova claimed her second Grand Slam win after winning the Roland Garros in 2021, by defeating Jasmine Paolini in the final.

Battling her way through injury before the tournament, the 28-year-old Czech displayed incredible skill and composure throughout the tournament to win her maiden Wimbledon title. The Czech’s victory marked the eighth consecutive instance of a new women’s singles champion at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon 2024 was graced by numerous high-profile dignitaries, including Sachin Tendulkar, Ben Stokes, Tom Cruise, Emma Watson, Billie Jean King, Rohit Sharma, Zendaya, and many more. Continuing with the competition’s tradition, the ever-graceful Princess of Wales handed over the trophies to the champions.

The 2024 edition of Wimbledon was filled with incredible moments, brimming with drama, action, and emotion. The fiercely competitive environment often led to heated exchanges involving players and their families, sparking controversy both on and off the court.

Let’s have a look at the top 5 most controversial moments from the 2024 Wimbledon Tournament:

5. Taylor Fritz’s girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, takes a dig at Alexander Zverev on social media

Taylor Fritz defeated Alexander Zverev in a thrilling five-set contest, and the drama was intense even after the fourth round concluded. When the two embraced each other to shake hands near the net, they engaged in a long verbal exchange, which was later clarified by Zverev during the post-match conference.

“His (Fritz’s) team is extremely respectful. I think his coach, his physio, also his second coach, they’re 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 from particularly watching every single match. They were a bit over the top,” said the German, particularly referring to the American’s girlfriend, Morgan Riddle.

Morgan Riddle on Instagram this afternoon as her boyfriend Taylor Fritz beats Alexander Zverev.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/napGHm8EPR

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 8, 2024

Soon after the match, Riddle posted an image from the stands, captioned “Cheer loud ladies”. Her post drew significant scrutiny, with many interpreting it as a veiled critique aimed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medallist, who faced accusations of physical abuse from his ex-girlfriend. Riddle promptly deleted the tweet, stating that it had been misunderstood.

4. Coco Gauff’s Heated Clash with Coaching Team

Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon drought continued with her hopes of a maiden title at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club being squashed by Emma Navarro in straight sets in the fourth round. The 20-year-old had her best shot at the title this year with most of the top seeds being eliminated in the initial stages but Gauff failed to meet the high standards that she has set for herself.

During her loss to Navarro, the American looked frustrated and constantly screamed at her box for more support. The 2023 US Open Champion, who has had a rough history with her coaches in the past, felt that her coaching team was not helping her enough as she looked to find answers to Navarro’s brutal assault.

“Tell me something. You guys aren’t saying anything”, Gauff screamed in a state of despair. In the post-match conference, the American admitted that she demanded more support from her box and felt like their devised game plan was not working.

3. Medvedev receives an official warning from the chair umpire for showing dissent

No tennis tournament is complete without an altercation between a player and the chair umpire. During the all-important semi-final between Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz, the Russian started well and found himself in the driver’s seat.

Serving for the set, Medvedev—the 2021 US Open Champion—found himself 30-40 down facing a breakpoint, when the third seed put in a delicate drop shot. The Russian was convinced that he got to the ball before it bounced for the second time but the chair umpire thought otherwise and handed the point in favor of Alcaraz.

Frustrated by his inability to close out the set, Medvedev directed inappropriate remarks towards the Greek umpire. The situation soon appeared extremely serious when the umpire came down from her chair to consult with the tournament advisor, about whether his words deserved just a warning or something more severe. Ultimately, the verdict was a warning for his unsportsmanlike conduct.

This mini-break proved pivotal as it titled the momentum in favor of the Spaniard, who despite losing the first set went on to win the next 3 sets to advance to the final.

2. ⁠Judy Murray takes a dig at Emma Raducanu on social media

Three-time Grand Slam Champion, Andy Murray pulled out of the men’s singles to focus on competing in men’s doubles with his brother Jamie. Unfortunately, the duo got knocked out in the very first round. The British icon announced that his upcoming mixed doubles fixture with Emma Raducanu will be his last in the championship.

However, things took an unfortunate turn as Raducanu withdrew from the first round due to injury concerns, officially ending Murray’s Wimbledon career. This decision of the 21-year-old was met with criticism led by Murray’s mother- Judy Murray, who gave a quick reaction on social media, replying to a message branding the decision ‘astonishing’ with a two-word reply: “Yes, astonishing.”

Yes, astonishing.

— judy murray (@JudyMurray) July 6, 2024

The following morning, the Scottish coach clarified her stance with another message, this time criticizing the scheduling. She stated, “Not sure anyone understands sarcasm these days. Pretty sure the scheduling (4th match court 1 with a singles following day) will have played a major part in any decision making.”

Andy Murray finished his Wimbledon career with two titles. Meanwhile, the Kiwi Qualifier, Lulu Sun, stunned Raducanu in the fourth round to end her campaign.

1. Novak Djokovic wishes the Centre Court crowd a “Gooooood Night”

The Djokovic vs crowd battle wrote a new chapter after the Serb’s win over Holger Rune in the fourth round. Throughout the match, the 37-year-old felt the crowd was booing him, and he didn’t hesitate to express his disappointment after the match in the on-court interview.

“To all the fans that have respect and that stayed here tonight: Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it. And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player — in this case, me — have a goooood night. goooood night. Very Good night,”, said Djokovic with particular emphasis on the ‘goooo’ as if he were mocking the crowd.

He went on to say that he had played in much more hostile environments and had a special line for all the jeerers out there: “You guys can’t touch me.” Following this heated interview, an angry Djokovic left his BBC interview midway after the interview solely focussed on his crowd interactions.

The 24-time Grand Slam Champion eventually lost to a spirited Alcaraz and fell short of his eighth Wimbledon title.

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