As her father stood clutching the Wimbledon trophy, Tara Djokovic could have been forgiven for wondering why Daddy was getting to have all the fun.
Playgrounds don’t come much better than Centre Court, after all, with its neatly trimmed grass and wide, open spaces. So how come he could run around that big green rectangle, while she wasn’t even allowed to come in and watch until after the match was over? Something to do with children under the age of five not being permitted on show courts, apparently. Hardly fair. It’s tough being four.
Happily, though, when your dad’s a seven-time Wimbledon champion, these problems can be solved. The morning after his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Nick Kyrgios, Djokovic returned to the All England Club with his family – wife Jelena, their seven-year-old son Stefan, and of course Tara – to enjoy another special moment on Centre Court. Reunited with the trophy, Djokovic posed for pictures while the children took full advantage of the opportunity to cavort around on the hallowed grass.
Stefan, who had missed the final in order to hit a few balls with Bob Bryan’s son, Bobby Jr, showed an impressive turn of pace as he completed two laps of the court. Tara, lagging a little after the first circuit, very sensibly enlisted the help of her father for the second, hopping on board for a piggyback. Maybe this tennis lark is tougher than it looks.
“Precious moment with my family this morning,” Djokovic later wrote on Instagram. “What a joy seeing them run on this legendary court! What a privilege to share my journey with them. Thank you, Wimbledon, for this opportunity. Taking home many memories for the lifetime.”
Djokovic later posted a video message to his 11m followers from the Centre Court balcony, reflecting on the All England Club’s uniqueness and post-tournament tranquillity.
“It’s truly a special place, special club,” said Djokovic. “I was just admiring and observing how, without people, the club looks more intimate and smaller. But it’s definitely the most special place in the tennis world. I am just honoured to be standing here once again as a winner.”
Less pleasing to the Serb will be the updated rankings list, on which he has fallen from third in the world to seventh, despite claiming his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title to take his overall tally of grand slam titles to 21. The drop stems from the decision by the ATP and WTA to strip Wimbledon of ranking points in response to the tournament’s unilateral ban on Russian and Belarusian players. With the fortnight over, the 2,000 points Djokovic acquired for last year’s victory have dropped off his total. A £2m winners’ cheque should go some way to allaying the disappointment.
Kyrgios, meanwhile, falls from 40th to 45th, while ladies’ champion Elena Rybakina remains at No 23. Ons Jabeur, who was defeated by Rybakina in the final, drops from second to fifth.
Djokovic received a hero’s welcome on his return to Belgrade, where thousands gathered to acclaim a victory that leaves him sandwiched between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the all-time list of men’s slam champions.