Novak Djokovic had a Wimbledon meltdown as he smashed his racket, argued with the umpire, then lost the next set
- Novak Djokovic lost his temper at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships.
- In the second set of his quarterfinal match against Kei Nishikori on Centre Court, Djokovic threw his racket in disgust, argued with the referee, and went on to lose the set.
- You can watch the incident below.
- Djokovic was able to regain his composure, though, and managed to win by four sets to one. He will now face a semifinal match against either Juan Martín del Potro or Rafa Nadal.
- Read all of Business Insider's Wimbledon coverage here.
Novak Djokovic just lost his cool in the Wimbledon heat.
In the middle of a quarterfinal clash against Japanese opponent Kei Nishikori, Djokovic grew increasingly frustrated that the second set was not going his way.
Djokovic had four break points in the first two service games alone and suffered a Wimbledon meltdown as he bounced his racket off the ground, argued with the umpire, and then went on to lose the second set.
Watch Djokovic smash the racket here:
After the incident, Djokovic quarreled with the umpire, who had given him a code violation for racket abuse.
"You're saying in the point if I toss my racket like this I'm ruining the court?" Djokovic was heard saying on the BBC broadcast on Wednesday. "You think I ruined the court by tossing the racket two metres behind the baseline? Be honest! Come on!"
A rattled Djokovic lost the second set 6-3 to Nishikori, canceling out his 6-3 win in the first.
However, Nishikori was prevented from launching a comeback as Djokovic, a three-time Wimbledon champion, regained his composure and managed to grind out wins in the third set (6-2) and in the fourth set (6-2) to set up a semifinal match against Juan Martín del Potro or Rafa Nadal.
It will be Djokovic's first semifinal Wimbledon appearance since 2015.