Novak Djokovic calls for Wimbledon breaking tradition and pushing early start times on Center Court in light of curfew controversy

Novak Djokovic backed calls for play to be started earlier at the Wimbledon Championships after getting past Hubert Hurkacz 7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 on July 10.

The Serb's fourth-round clash against the Pole had to be suspended owing to the 11 pm curfew at Wimbledon. The match, which had to be halted with Djokovic leading by two sets, was played under different conditions over a couple of days. The wind played its part on Monday as opposed to a duel under the roof the day before.

After the match, Djokovic was asked if Wimbledon should reconsider the 1:30 start it follows currently. The Serb stated that while he was appreciative of the reasons behind the curfew, the matches "could be pushed at least to start at 12."

"Obviously curfew is probably something that is much more difficult to change, I understand, because of the community and the residential area we are in," the seven-time champion opined during the post-match press conference.

"I think the matches could be pushed at least to start at 12:00. I think it would make a difference," he added.

Novak Djokovic's third-round encounter against Stan Wawrinka was also in danger of being suspended because of the curfew. But the 36-year-old managed to beat the clock by defeating his Swiss opponent with minutes left for the scheduled close of play.

Hubert Hurkacz, meanwhile, refused to be broken even as Djokovic too held serve in both sets played on Sunday.The Serb was tested to the hilt before coming through in the all-important tie-break.

Hurkazc took the third set when play resumed on Monday, with the 23-time Grand Slam champion looking a wee bit frustrated. But he came into his own in the fourth to make sure that this 10-year unbeaten streak on Center Court remained untarnished.

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"Andrey Rublev is a fantastic player who's got one of the best forehands in the game" - Novak Djokovic all praise for the Russian ahead of big quarterfinal

Novak Djokovic in action at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic will take on Andrey Rublev of Russia in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Wimbledon championships on Tuesday.

The Russian got past Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in a five-set thriller on Sunday. Djokovic heaped praise on Rublev's forehands in a press conference before quipping that he could scare off his opponents with his grunts.

"Andrey Rublev is a fantastic player who's got one of the best forehands in the game. Brings a lot of intensity to the court with his grunts. He kind of scares off his opponents across the net, the Serb said.

"Extremely nice guy. Very nice person. Works as hard as anybody out there to be a top-10 player, which he has been for the last several years. He's one of the most consistent players on all surfaces. I have lots of respect for him," the defending champion added.

Djokovic beat Rublev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year while also getting the better of him in the Nitto ATP Finals last year. Interestingly, Novak Djokovic went down to the Moscow-born player at home in Belgrade, Serbia in 2022.

The Serb is aiming for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon crown and an incredible 24th Grand Slam title at SW19.