Wimbledon: Djokovic’s violin joke goes viral as daughter Tara can’t stop smiling
New coach. A new season, but the same old celebration.
Novak Djokovic may be chasing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon crown and an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title, but on Center Court he remains a father figure trying to negotiate a new creative partnership with his biggest critic.
After his a hard-fought victory late Monday nightThe 39-year-old Serbian legend pulled off his signature celebration: mimicking playing the violin with a tennis racket. The gesture, originally introduced as a tribute to the real-life musical pursuits of his eight-year-old daughter Tara, became a viral talking point during his post-match interview when Djokovic admitted that the encore was actually due to a lack of new material.
“I actually used last year’s celebration. The violin. Because I’m still waiting,” a grinning Djokovic told the crowd on Center Court. “It’s a work in progress. He’s still thinking about the choreography. Maybe he’ll be inspired after tonight.”
As the stadium erupted in laughter, television cameras immediately panned to the players’ box to capture Tara’s reaction. The young girl was visibly overwhelmed by her father’s public appeal and was deeply embarrassed under the lens.
Smiling at his daughter’s expense, Djokovic joked about the late hour for his family.
“Of course it’s a blessing to have my family to support me. Coming this late, even when it’s time to go to bed, we’ll have to talk about it – but I think tonight is the exception.”
DJOKOVIC MADE FOR HARD WORK
But it was far from a routine opening night for the seventh seed on grass. Djokovic was subjected to a brutal three-hour inspection by China’s world number 102, Wu Yibing, eventually winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
The former world number one looked to be cruising after a comfortable opening set, but Wu, a well-known talent returning to the big stage after two injury-plagued seasons, began aggressively slapping flat baseline winners to take the second set and force the roof on Center Court.
The match turned into a bloody ground battle under the lights, with Djokovic relying heavily on his two decades of experience to take a treacherous fourth set, fending off numerous break points before converting a crucial break in the ninth game to serve to love.
“Today was really challenging,” admitted Djokovic. “Wu deserves a huge round of applause for his performance. To be honest, it didn’t look like the first round.”
Djokovic sealed his 21st straight opening-round win at SW19 and maintains an unblemished career record in first-round matches at Wimbledon.
The reward for his survival is an absolute blockbuster in the second round playoff against former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek star, currently ranked 87th, will provide an incredibly early litmus test for Djokovic’s title in what promises to be an electric second-round encounter.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
30 Jun 2026 11:46 IST