Ex-Wimbledon referee recalls private Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic disagreement
Former Wimbledon referee Andrew Jarrett once found himself at the centre of a disagreement between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who were battling it out for a place in the final back in 2018. Jarrett oversaw the running of the tournament between 2006 and 2019 and was also in charge of controlling the Centre Court roof in the event of an issue with lighting or bad weather.
One particularly controversial moment saw the roof closed during the late session when Djokovic was facing Nadal in the semi-finals at Wimbledon five years ago. The Serb was leading by two sets to one before play was suspended for the evening. The match resumed the following day, although Jarrett made the call to keep the roof closed despite the sun beaming down on Centre Court.
The decision irked Nadal, who wanted the cover to be retracted, but Jarrett chose not to give in to the Spaniard’s demands after failing to get Djokovic to agree to having the roof opened.
“Perhaps the biggest issue was getting the terms of engagement [of the roof] agreed, then making people understand why decisions were made,” wrote Jarrett in his new book, Championship Points, as reported by the Daily Mail.
