logo
Djokovic brought up as BBC star picks sides after Norrie's Wimbledon ‘scrap'

Djokovic brought up as BBC star picks sides after Norrie's Wimbledon ‘scrap'

Daily Mirror3 hours ago
Cameron Norrie was involved in a heated exchange with Nicolas Jarry after their Wimbledon showdown - but the tennis sensation saw his on-court actions defended by BBC commentator Pat Cash
Pat Cash has leapt to Cameron Norrie's defence following a fiery row with Nicolas Jarry at Wimbledon, using Novak Djokovic as an example. The star found himself embroiled in controversy during his thrilling five-set victory over Jarry in Sunday's fourth-round clash.
The Chilean became increasingly frustrated with Norrie's serving routine, moaning to umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore before the third set about the 29-year-old's lengthy second serve time. Jarry was particularly wound up by Norrie's habit of bouncing the ball repeatedly, then stopping to bounce it again - a pattern he claimed was throwing off his own concentration.

Jarry admitted he didn't know the rules and was heard telling the official: "What is the rule there? The problem is, is it normal to do that when it affects the other player? You have to intervene there or I have to suck it. That's the real issue, it doesn't matter the reason.

"It is the same as hitting the ball anywhere. It's not intentional but you have to apply the code as well. How is it now? He perfectly can stop doing it, it's not a nervous tick.
"It's something that he can control. It's not a nervous tick. You think there's nothing I can do so I just have to suck it up, because he does it always. That's a reason for me to have to play with something that affects me. It can be changed, it's not something that cannot be changed," reports the Express.
Asderaki-Moore responded: "I am going to step in if I think there is a reason to step in," before Jarry added: "I don't want to force you into anything. I just want to do what the rules say. And if there is not a rule then tell me and I cannot do anything about it."
The match continued, with Norrie eventually clinching victory 6-3 7-6 6-7 6-7 6-3. However, the tension didn't dissipate as the pair exchanged frosty words during their post-match handshake.
During his on-court interview, Norrie shed some light on what might have irked Jarry. He explained: "He said I was a little bit vocal and I think that's my energy.

"I was pulling [energy] from my team and then I just said, 'Man, you competed so well and hung in there so well and it was an amazing, competitive match.' I love it, I loved the Chilean fans too, and you guys definitely pulled me through the match there at the end."
Norrie's ball-bouncing habit seemed to unsettle Jarry on Court One, but BBC commentator Cash defended the player's actions. Using 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic as an example, the 1987 Wimbledon champion said: "You can bounce the ball 35 times if you want between first and second serve.
"That is the anomaly. There are a few weird things in tennis. If you are late coming in for a first serve, you have been running all over the place, and you are tired, all you have to do is get to the line and throw the ball and catch it, and then you can bounce the ball 20 or 30 times.

"But I don't think Cam does it that extreme. Novak used to bounce the ball 20 or 30 times. He is regrouping himself and that's the anomaly of the rule. I don't agree with quite a few of the silly rules of tennis that they have. But Norrie is within his rights to do so.
"You can go for a toilet break. I went for two toilet breaks in my whole career over five sets, but they go every set. So as he (Jarry) said, I don't mind you as a player, but that's a bit extreme. He has got a bit of a point there, I suppose. I have not seen Cam bounce the ball that much, I have to be honest. So maybe this is something that he has decided.
"I am a bit tired, I just need extra breathing space between points. I have never seen him bounce the ball that much, so maybe that is just something he has done today."
Following his victory, Norrie is set to take on reigning champ Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, eyeing his maiden Grand Slam trophy. The ATP No. 61 has previously made waves at Wimbledon, reaching the semi-finals in 2022 where he was eventually defeated by Djokovic on the iconic Centre Court.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wimbledon chiefs retain confidence in line-calling tech despite Sunday's blunder
Wimbledon chiefs retain confidence in line-calling tech despite Sunday's blunder

The Independent

time8 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Wimbledon chiefs retain confidence in line-calling tech despite Sunday's blunder

Wimbledon bosses are 'deeply disappointed' by Sunday's electronic line calling failure but insist they are confident it will not happen again. Officials blamed human error for the incident at a crucial stage of the fourth-round match between Sonay Kartal and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, with the system inadvertently turned off and not flagging that a shot from the British player was out. Pavlyuchenkova, who would have moved 5-4 ahead had the call been made, was furious with umpire Nico Helwerth for ordering the point to be replayed, accusing him of stealing the game and the tournament of home bias. Organisers apologised to both players, and chief executive Sally Bolton said: 'It was important for us to to explain as much as we could at that point in time what we believed had happened, and to apologise to the players for it happening in the first place. 'We're deeply disappointed that this has happened in the Championships. It was a human error. The ball-tracking technology is working effectively.' The system has replaced line judges for the first time this year and such a high-profile malfunction is hugely embarrassing for the All England Club. Bolton refused to go into the details of how the error had happened, or to explain what safeguards had been put in place during a briefing with reporters on Monday morning. 'I wasn't sat there, so I don't know what happened,' she said. 'It was clearly deactivated in error, because you wouldn't ordinarily deactivate a set of cameras mid-match intentionally. 'Once this happened, we did a full review of all of our systems and processes to check all of those kinds of things and to make sure that, both historically and moving forward, we have made the appropriate changes that we needed to make. So we're absolutely confident in the system.' There was also criticism of Helwerth for not calling the ball out once it became clear the system had failed and instead ordering the point to be replayed, with Kartal going on to win the game, leaving her serving for the first set. The German umpire, one of the sport's leading officials, was notably absent from the schedule on Monday, although Wimbledon organisers insisted it was simply his day off. Pavlyuchenkova said in her post-match press conference: 'I just thought also the chair umpire could take initiative. That's why he's there sitting on the chair. He also saw it out, he told me after the match. He probably was scared to take such a big decision.' Bolton cited a breakdown in communication between the review official and the umpire, with Helwerth unaware that the system had not been working previously during the game. It is also a big week in a different type of court for the All England Club, with a judicial review into the decision to grant planning permission for its expansion into neighbouring Wimbledon Park taking place at the High Court on Tuesday and Wednesday. There has been vehement local opposition to the scheme, which will see 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat show court, built on the site of a former golf club. Wimbledon chair Debbie Jevans will be at the High Court on Tuesday, and Bolton said: 'We remain really confident that we'll make the progress we need to make.'

Wimbledon bosses to give Khan's TfL a dressing down after Tube chaos
Wimbledon bosses to give Khan's TfL a dressing down after Tube chaos

Telegraph

time14 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Wimbledon bosses to give Khan's TfL a dressing down after Tube chaos

Wimbledon bosses are poised to give Sir Sadiq Khan's Transport for London (TfL) a dressing down after the tennis championships were hit by Tube chaos. On Monday, TfL announced that there was no service between Parsons Green and Wimbledon on the District line, forcing tennis fans to find an alternative route. The operator said a signal failure between Edgware Road and Parsons Green had also caused severe delays. Paul Kohler, the Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon, had branded delays last week an 'international embarrassment' and called on Sir Sadiq, the London Mayor, to 'get a grip'. Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said the club would be meeting TfL bosses at the end of the championships to assess the service provided. 'We're working with them all year,' she said. 'We have been, and remain, clear with them that delivering an event of this scale in this part of London requires the infrastructure in this part of London to support us in doing that. 'They're very aware of that view, and we have arranged to catch up with them after the championships to look at not just what happened this year but also to look ahead in terms of investment into the District line.' 'Challenging' week of delays TfL apologised on Monday for disruption after a 'challenging' week. Meanwhile, Mr Kohler posted on social media: 'Things do not seem to be improving on the District line and, despite ⁦TfL telling reporters they were going to meet with me last Friday, no such meeting was arranged.' The MP added that he was 'pressing' TfL for a date for the meeting as he called for action to be taken. Mr Kohler said the Mayor of London was personally responsible for the District line failings and their resolution. 'This is the jewel in the crown of British sport. And we can't get the infrastructure working to get people there and back.' He said the local community and area was being 'incapacitated' by the District line. 'There is continued concern about Sir Sadiq's role in supervising TfL,' he added. 'It beggars belief that some parts of the line are more than 100 years old. 'He needs to put more money into the infrastructure.' He called on any expansion of the championships to include a compromise of improved services on the line. Susan Hall, the leader of the Conservatives in City Hall, said Sir Sadiq had shown a 'lack of leadership', adding: 'It is simply not good enough that this poor level of service is continuing. What message about London does it send to tourists here to watch the tennis that not even the trains work? 'Instead of putting fares up and not running a good enough service, he must step up immediately. He has shown a total lack of leadership on this. Thousands of people wait all year to go somewhere world famous like Wimbledon, and the Mayor is making their lives very difficult.' Major delays to the second week of the Wimbledon fortnight came after TfL had already issued a public apology on Thursday. It had claimed delays had been caused by Network Rail signalling problems. But the Tube has struggled to cope, with problems including signal failures and a fire alert at Southfields, the station closest to the All England Club. Commenting on services provided, Network Rail previously said it had been able to 'deliver around 75 per cent of the planned service with no reported passenger issues'. A TfL spokesman said: 'We apologise to customers affected by the disruption on the District line [on Monday], which is due to a track fault at Putney Bridge. 'Our engineers are working hard to rectify the fault as soon as possible and restore a good service. We acknowledge that today's disruption comes on the back of a challenging week for District line services last week.'

Nick Kyrgios WILL commentate at Wimbledon as TNT Sports sign up polarising tennis star for men's and women's finals
Nick Kyrgios WILL commentate at Wimbledon as TNT Sports sign up polarising tennis star for men's and women's finals

Daily Mail​

time21 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Nick Kyrgios WILL commentate at Wimbledon as TNT Sports sign up polarising tennis star for men's and women's finals

Nick Kyrgios will be commentating at Wimbledon after all, as TNT Sports have signed him up for their coverage of the men's and women's singles finals this weekend. There was a significant backlash after the controversial Aussie joined the BBC 's coverage last year and he was axed from this year's commentary team. But the rights to the finals are also held by TNT Sport – since 2016 they were shown on Eurosport, which has been folded into TNT. And they have snapped up Kyrgios, along with former British No 1 Dan Evans. Despite the fear expressed by some that a rival's broadcasting of the finals was a future threat to the BBC's primacy, the aim of TNT is very much not looking to compete with the BBC. There are more seeking to offer an alternative – and with Kyrgios in the box it will certainly be that. Kyrgios was present at Wimbledon last week and has been seen in the crowd watching games Kyrgios looked set to miss out on SW19 despite being part of the BBC's punditry team for last year's tournament, alongside Tim Henman and John McEnroe. The broadcaster's decision to include the Australian on the panel 12 months after he admitted to assaulting his former girlfriend Chiara Passari - and avoided a criminal conviction - was met with a fierce backlash from the public and MPs. Disrupted by knee and wrist injuries, the 30-year-old is not involved as a player, making this the third consecutive year he has missed out. His last appearance on the court at Wimbledon came in 2022, when he lost the final to Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios was also overlooked by ESPN this year despite featuring on their panel at the Australian Open.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store