17 July 2023 , 19:12
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BBC viewers hit out at commentator Andrew Castle for defending Novak Djokovic's tantrum after he lost the Wimbledon final.
Djokovic was booed after smashing his racket against the net and denting one of the posts after he lost a game in the final set of the men's final at Wimbledon.
The moment happened after the Serbian's opponent Carlos Alcaraz broke his serve in the third game of the fifth set on Centre Court. As he stormed back to his seat, the Serbian threw his racket against the wooden post, putting a dent in it and breaking his racket.
Commentator Castle sympathised with the tennis player and said: "It’s understandable how upset Djokovic would be. He has just lost his serve in the fifth set."
Fans were less than impressed with Djokovic's tantrum and Castle's comment as they rushed to social media to complain about it.
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Andrew Castle said Djokovic's reaction was 'understandable' (BBC / Jonathan Ford)"If a female player had done what Djokovic just did with his racket in a tantrum she’d be absolutely dragged. But these commentators are so far up Djokovic’s a**, they’re just full of empathy for how hard it must be for him," one user said.
Another post: "Novak Djokovic has a tantrum in the final set of the #WimbledonFinal & smashes his racket against the net post in a game that is almost the longest-ever #Wimbledon final (Longest was Djokovic v Federer in 2019 which lasted 4 hours 57 minute."
"Actually embarrassing listening to the bbc commentators trying to excuse Djokovic having a temper tantrum," one viewer commented.
One fan slammed Castle and said: "I'm sorry but Djokovic throwing a tantrum because he lost a game is not "understandable." He's a professional sportsman who has lost before not a toddler. The best (and appropriate) response would be to outplay the youngster."
Djokovic smashed his tennis racket during a tantrum (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)The tennis star also seemed to have hurt his wrist in the incident, which came after Alcaraz won a stunning break point.
The Spaniard had lost the first set 6-1, before fighting back to take a 2-1 lead in sets. But Djokovic showed his champion pedigree to win the fourth set, sending the match to a decider.
After going 2-1 up in the fifth set, Alcaraz pushed on to go 5-3 up, forcing Djokovic to serve to stay in the match