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<\/p>\nNovak Djokovic was forced to dig deep to beat Arthur Rinderknech in the Wimbledon third round and a BBC star has called him out<\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic got the better of Arthur Rinderknech at Wimbledon(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
BBC pundit Jamie Murray reckoned Novak Djokovic might come to rue repeatedly striking his leg during a Wimbledon third-round triumph over Arthur Rinderknech. Djokovic hit himself 11 times<\/a> as he risked squandering a two-set advantage against his French rival.<\/p>\n The tactic proved effective in spurring the Serb on to seal a hard-earned victory<\/a> but Murray hinted it could leave him nursing bruises the following day.<\/p>\n “That might leave a mark in the morning. He might regret that tomorrow,” the Scot said. Fellow pundit Tim Henman then weighed in, saying: “My opponent was battering me as much as it is, let alone battering myself.<\/p>\n “That was a little bit OTT I think from Djokovic but whatever it takes to get the motivation going. I think he knew the early part of that fourth set, having lost the third set, was going to be vital to really change the momentum. And I thought the fourth set was just top quality from both men.”<\/p>\n JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page<\/a><\/p>\n Following Djokovic’s win, Henman was asked by presenter Clare Balding if he harboured any worries about the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s physical condition.<\/p>\n Djokovic repeatedly punched his leg after going 0-5 down in the third set(Image: BBC)<\/p>\n “It’s a classic cliche in Grand Slam tennis, certainly in the men’s, that you can’t win the tournament in the first week but you can certainly lose it,” the former semi-finalist said.<\/p>\n “I think even though Djokovic is winning, that has been an issue in the past when he has played these very long, extended matches. Then when he gets into the semi-finals he’s coming up against a Sinner or an Alcaraz, as was the case in 2025 when he got through to all four semi-finals he was a little short of gas in the tank.”<\/p>\n “But when I look at all of these three matches, he’s come through, it’s been pretty straightforward, I don’t think it’s been particularly physically demanding. So I think if you’d offered Djokovic this first week at Wimbledon this year he’d have said ‘Absolutely, I’ll take that every day of the week’.”<\/p>\n Speaking courtside following his victory, Djokovic was quizzed on both his mental and physical state. “How do I put this into simple terms?<\/p>\n The Serb spoke on court after his win(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n “I think I’ve done everything I needed to do today, under circumstances that weren’t maybe as good for me as they were in the second round, and it was still enough to win,” he said.<\/p>\n “At this age and stage in my career, every day brings something new and unpredictable for me. I’m hoping that I will come out at my best in a few days’ time.<\/p>\n “More than tennis, I hope that my dance moves will improve because my daughter has been teaching me but I’m pretty poor. She didn’t give me a smile in the end, she was more like: ‘Yeah, we have to practice!’ But hopefully I can have many more dances throughout the rest of this tournament. We will see.”<\/p>\n Buy Wimbledon 2026 VIP tickets from Seat Unique<\/p>\n This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/a> Prices Vary<\/p>\n Seat Unique<\/p>\n![\"Novak](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1_Novak-Djokovic-Wimbledon-punch.jpg\")
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