Novak Djokovic and his family made the most of their final moments at Wimbledon this year as his children ran around an empty Centre Court before the Serbian paid tribute to the All England Club.
Djokovic won a fourth consecutive Wimbledon title against Australian bad boy Nick Kyrgios on Sunday afternoon, which brought him to within one of Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 Grand Slams.
Djokovic’s 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 triumph also extended his remarkable unbeaten run on Centre Court – with his last loss at the 15,000-seater venue back in 2013 to Andy Murray.
But the Serbian had no intention of rushing off after winning the title and posed for pictures on Monday morning before being given special access to Centre Court.
With the trophy in hand, the 35-year-old watched on as children Stefan, 7, and Tara, 4, sprinted around Centre Court – which showed very little sign that the final had taken place less than 24 hours earlier.
After a few laps of the court, Tara climbed onto Djokovic’s back and he gave her a piggyback on one final trip around the famous venue.
Djokovic then made his way up to the iconic Centre Court balcony and posted a message to his Instagram followers.
Novak Djokovic and his family had private access to Centre Court on Monday morning
His children Stefan, 7, and Tara, 4, ran around the iconic venue less than 24 hours after his win
Djokovic gave his daughter a piggyback for one final lap after putting the trophy on the grass
He said: ‘Hello everyone. Wonderful Monday morning. I’m very blessed to hold this trophy once again.
‘I’m standing on probably the most famous balcony in the tennis world. A balcony on which I still haven’t had lunch or had a cup of tea. I hope that I’ll be able to do that as a member in the future.
The Serbian went up to the iconic balcony at Wimbledon to send a message to his fans
‘It’s truly a special place, special club. 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 on Monday morning. Hope to see you all again next year and enjoy your day.’
Despite proving himself to be the best men’s player in the world right now, Djokovic finds himself relying on political intervention to continue his season.
Quite where he will play next remains to be seen. After a couple of low-key weeks where most players take the chance for a break, the tour picks up again in North America at the end of July with the hard-court swing ahead of August’s US Open.
But the United States and Canada both still require travellers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter, meaning Djokovic, who has made it repeatedly clear that he will not take the vaccine, faces another major hole in his schedule.
‘Whether or not I’m playing any tournament soon, I’ll definitely be resting for the next couple of weeks because it has been quite an exhausting and demanding period for me the last few months,’ he said.
‘A lot of tennis, which I was very happy about. I got what I wanted here.
‘Then I’ll wait hopefully for some good news from USA because I would really love to go there. If that doesn’t happen, then I have to see what the schedule will look like.’
Djokovic’s 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 win over Nick Kyrgios handed the him a fourth consecutive title
The removal of ranking points from Wimbledon over the barring of Russian and Belarusian players means Djokovic has dropped from three to seven in the standings, while Kyrgios has slipped from 40 to 45.
Djokovic will not be overly concerned about his place in the rankings and may not play much again until the tour returns to Europe in the autumn, with his place at the ATP Tour Finals virtually guaranteed by virtue of his Wimbledon victory.
Earlier on Monday, American tennis legend and BBC commentator John McEnroe insisted it would be ‘ridiculous’ for Djokovic to be denied entry into America.
‘These politicians are getting in the way too much – they did it in Australia,’ the 63-year-old said.
‘Let the guy come in and play in the US. I mean come on. This is ridiculous. You can agree to be tested. There’s got to be a way around this.’
The Duchess of Cambridge presents the trophy to Djokovic in front of a packed Centre Court
Djokovic spoke after his victory on Sunday about the emotional toll his deportation from Australia in January took, and the three-year ban on returning to the country that is automatically imposed in such scenarios means he may not be able to play another Grand Slam until the French Open next spring.
The Serbian’s team have lived through it all with him, and coach Goran Ivanisevic said: ‘It’s very emotional. If I can say it was a s**t year, a tough year, especially for him, but also for us that were close to him.
‘This was a huge thing what happened to him. We all expected from him after a couple of weeks, “OK, forget about Australia, let’s go back and practice”. It’s not happening like this. It took a long time.
‘For some people, they don’t recover. They will never play tennis. This was a big shock. It was a shock for me, and I was there. I was free. Imagine for him.
‘Unbelievable how he recovered and how he got through that. It’s really for me heroic because it was not easy to digest all the things and come back to play tennis.’
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