Novak Djokovic calls for more rule changes as concerns raised after Wimbledon win

Novak Djokovic has renewed calls for significant tennis rule changes following his straight-sets second-round victory at Wimbledon. The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 6-2 in under two hours, advancing after his opening-round win against Yibing Wu.

Speaking during his post-match press conference, Djokovic highlighted concerns about match length and its impact on attracting younger audiences to the sport. "If you're not a diehard tennis fan maybe it's not as interesting for other people to watch something for three four five hours when they have everything available on their screens right," Djokovic explained. He acknowledged that while tennis is dynamic and exciting, the extended duration may deter casual viewers.

The Serbian champion has prioritised this issue across consecutive press conferences at the All England Club. He previously stated: "In my opinion we have to change the format the tours have the tournaments have shorter matches more dynamic be able to have something more interesting and shorter length cause this is too long."

Djokovic noted that reform discussions have continued for years with minimal concrete progress. "It's not just me talking about it," he said. "As I can hear or see in the last 15 years there are a lot of people talking about how we can all improve the sport. Not much is happening on that end or changing."

When questioned about further innovations, including players wearing microphones during matches, Djokovic expressed reservations. "I don't know if I'll be comfortable being mic'd up during the performance. Practice is fine. But there are different ways of innovating," he said, emphasising his focus on structural changes to competition format and rules.

Despite acknowledging his limited decision-making power, Djokovic remained open to dialogue. "I'm always open to discussion. Happy to use my platform or whatever influence we can collectively improve the game," he concluded.