Although Carlos Alcaraz is missing the 2026 Wimbledon Championships due to a wrist injury, the Spaniard is still closely following the action from afar. Alcaraz tuned in to watch Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime’s thrilling quarterfinal showdown, as controversy erupted over the decision to close the roof.
How Carlos Alcaraz Reacted to Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Wimbledon Quarterfinal
Djokovic and Auger-Aliassime engaged in a closely contested battle for a spot in the semifinals of the grass-court Major. While Djokovic edged the opening set in a tense tiebreak, the Canadian battled back strongly to clinch the second and level the score at 1-1 at around 7:40 p.m.
Before the third set could get underway, tournament referee Denise Parnell arrived at Centre Court to inform both players that play would be suspended briefly so the roof could be closed. The intention was to avoid the risk of having to stop midway through the third set if fading light became an issue.
Djokovic, however, was not pleased with the decision, arguing that there was enough time to play an entire set before the roof would need to close.
“Why now? Why? The other day you didn’t want to close it until, like, 8.20, 8.30, and now you want to close it? You don’t want to get to 8.30? It’s 7.40 now. We can play a whole another set. Outdoors. We are an outdoor tournament,” Djokovic said.
Parnell pointed to the fourth-round clash between Jannik Sinner and Shintaro Mochizuki, which had to be suspended at 4-4 in the second set due to darkness, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion dismissed the comparison.
“With Jannik, I don’t care what happens. I care about our match right now,” he said.
As Auger-Aliassime also expressed his preference to keep the roof open, Djokovic furiously complained about the inconsistent application of the rules. Despite his protests, Parnell stood by the call, and both players left the court while play was paused for the roof to close.
“And you remember the first round? You didn’t close it until, like, 8.20, 8.30. And now you want to close it at 7.40. Where is the consistency? You’re so proud of your rules, and you’re not sticking to any kind of rule. We have no idea what the rule is,” he added.
Carlos Alcaraz, who was watching the match unfold, wondered which player would gain an advantage from the roof closure during former Spanish player Àlex Corretja’s Instagram Live coverage.
“Who do you think benefits from the closed roof? 🤔,” Alcaraz commented.
Alcaraz is watching the Djokovic vs. FAA match and commented on Alex Corretja’s IG Live 📩📸
“Who do you think benefits from the closed roof? 🤔” pic.twitter.com/eWUXmj3CRq
— Alcaraz Updates🐝 (@alcarazzupdates) July 7, 2026
The showdown continued in similarly thrilling fashion after play resumed. Djokovic won the third set, only for Auger-Aliassime to respond by taking the fourth and forcing a decider. With the fifth set culminating in a dramatic tiebreak, the Serb produced an exceptional performance to secure a 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(10-4) victory after a five-hour, 15-minute battle.
Alcaraz will likely be just as interested in Novak Djokovic’s semifinal clash, with the 39-year-old set to face Jannik Sinner in a highly anticipated showdown. Although Sinner holds a 6-5 lead in their head-to-head record, Djokovic can draw confidence from his impressive win over the world No. 1 in the Australian Open semifinals earlier this year.
