Djokovic Pranks Ball Girl, Apologizes on Centre Court

Novak Djokovic added a bit of theater to Wimbledon's Centre Court on Wednesday—and briefly spooked a ball girl in the process, if not fans. After taking a two-set lead over Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 24-time Grand Slam winner asked a ball girl to help cut tape from his shoulder, then pretended her scissors had cut him instead, the Mirror reports. Cameras caught her looking stunned as Djokovic feigned pain before quickly cracking up, as BBC broadcaster Clare Balding noted on air that the "poor girl" looked "absolutely terrified." She appeared shocked, then relieved to learn it was a joke, per GB News.

Djokovic addressed the moment in his on-court interview after the match, per the Mirror, apologizing if he'd scared her and calling it "not that great of a joke" but something that helped him relax. He conceded that "these kinds of things surface when you are two sets to love up rather than two sets to love down." The 37-year-old had little trouble beyond that, dispatching Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 under the Centre Court roof. The seven-time Wimbledon champion moves on to face No. 25 seed Arthur Rinderknech in the third round on Friday.