Wimbledon star shouts ‘this is a joke' as official forces players to leave court

Wales Online

03-07-2025

Wimbledon star shouts 'this is a joke' as official forces players to leave court
Emotions got the better of one Wimbledon hopeful after he was left fuming when play got suspended in his second-round clash, which left him playing four days in a row
Botic van de Zandschulp lost it with a Wimbledon official after he had a second match suspended
(Image: Hannah Peters, Getty Images )
Dutch tennis ace Botic van de Zandschulp was visibly irate with a Wimbledon official after his second-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was halted. The interruption came as a blow to the 29-year-old, who was already exasperated by the possibility of having to compete for five straight days in London.
Van de Zandschulp was trailing two sets to one and on the brink of an exit from the Grand Slam on Wednesday evening. The scoreboard read 1-6, 6-4, 3-6, 5-5 in his opponent's favour when play was nearly called off due to a lack of light, but not before the Utrecht-born star staved off a match point.
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This feeling was all too familiar for Van de Zandschulp, whose opening-round victory over Matteo Arnaldi was also interrupted by poor weather. Despite this, tournament organisers scheduled him last on Court 5 yet again.
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With the stakes high and the tension rising, the Dutch player – who has previously considered early retirement from the sport – unleashed some of his pent-up frustration on a Wimbledon official. And he was particularly upset that the match wasn't suspended sooner.
"This is a joke," he told the supervisor, according to De Telegraaf. "We could have stopped at half past eight [the match was stopped at 9:15pm]! It's your fault because you schedule me this way."
He was later quoted by Dutch outlet NOS and continued his tirade: "Why does this keep happening to me? I played on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and now I'm playing on Thursday as well. I'm the only one here to play every single day."
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Both of the Dutchman's matches at SW19 this year were subject to an overnight delay
(Image: Clive Brunskill, Getty Images )
The player's frustration is understandable given he has consistently been scheduled for the latest matches at Wimbledon. The feeling of unfairness is further intensified considering his potential rival received what seemed like preferential treatment.
Taylor Fritz's match against Gabriel Diallo took place on Court 1, which is equipped with both a roof and lights. This allowed that pair to play up until the 11pm curfew.
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Doing so significantly raises the likelihood of concluding that match within a single day. And in turn, this offers the winner more time for mental and physical recuperation.
Fritz himself had experienced a suspension of his first-round game against Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard due to the 11pm deadline. And the Daily Express reports even he suggested his opponent deliberately aimed to delay the match.
Van de Zandschulp has previously hinted at early retirement
(Image: Daniel Kopatsch, Getty Images )
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Top seeds are usually allocated the more favourable courts at Wimbledon, though they've perhaps earned the right. However, there's a case for improving lighting on some of the outer courts to extend the potential playtime.
As it turned out, Van de Zandschulp was defeated by Fokina when their match continued on Thursday. The resumption didn't last long, either, as Spaniard Davidovich Fokina clinched a tiebreak in the fourth set to conclude the match.
This result echoed their previous encounter at Wimbledon two years prior, where Davidovich Fokina also triumphed in four sets. However, the manner of his departure this time around may leave Van de Zandschulp with a bitter aftertaste.