Novak Djokovic competed in his fourth-round match at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships on Sunday, July 5. The Serb went up against Russia’s Roman Safiullin in what was their fourth meeting on the tour.
John McEnroe and Tim Henman were in the commentary box, and at one point, McEnroe appeared to take a swipe at Djokovic over his mid-match break.
John McEnroe Unimpressed by Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon Break
After registering victories over Wu Yibing (6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4), Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-3, 6-4, 6-2), and Arthur Rinderknech (7-5, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4)), Djokovic faced Safiullin in the opening match on Center Court on Sunday.
The Serb found himself in early trouble, trailing 2-5 in the opening set and facing two set points. However, Djokovic mounted a remarkable comeback, saving both set points before edging the tiebreak to claim the set 7-6(6). After the opener that lasted just over one hour, he opted for a toilet break.
Players are permitted up to two toilet breaks during best-of-five-set matches, with each break limited to a maximum of three minutes. If a player chooses to change clothes, they are granted an additional two minutes. The time taken to leave and return to the court is not counted toward these limits.
As the interval between the two sets stretched beyond five minutes, McEnroe appeared to grow increasingly impatient.
“Pretty extended break here for Novak,” he was heard as saying. “Where did he go, all the way back to the locker room?”
Reflecting on the stricter regulations that were in place during his playing career, McEnroe told Henman, “When men were men, we didn’t have any breaks. You couldn’t change your clothes; you couldn’t even go to the bathroom.”
He did, however, acknowledge that players were allowed to sit in a chair during changeovers — a facility that was introduced at Wimbledon only in 1974.
“You know, ’74, I believe, or ’75 was the first year where you had chairs, so I missed it (chairless changeovers) by a couple. ’77 was my first year.”
Djokovic carried his momentum into the second set, clinching it 6-3. Safiullin immediately followed with a toilet break. As the time since the last point approached seven minutes, McEnroe was once again provoked.
“Is there a rule about how much time you can take? I know it’s like a broken record discussing this, but, I mean, my goodness.”
“We’re just changing his clothes,” he continued. “There’s a room that you used to go into before. I don’t know if they still do that, right near where you walk up the steps. Isn’t that where you go change your clothes, or do you go all the way back to the locker room?”
“This is outrageous.”
John McEnroe has been highly critical of the delays at Wimbledon throughout the week. On Court 1 and Center Court, players contesting the final match of the day are regularly forced to wait between sets while the roof is closed due to darkness. They are then offered a brief warm-up, a situation that has not particularly pleased the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
