Novak Djokovic pranks Wimbledon ball girl mid-match, sparks viral moment: 'She nearly had a heart attack'
24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic pulled a light-hearted prank on a ball girl during the second-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2026 Wimbledon tournament on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic was in a mischievous mood while in action against Stefanos Tsitsipas during the second round of Wimbledon 2026 on the centre court on Thursday when he pulled a prank on the ball girl.
The Serbian clinched a commanding 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Tsitsipas, advancing to the third round of the 2026 Wimbledon tournament. The 39-year-old looked in top form against the Greek tennis player.
Djokovic pranks Wimbledon ball girl
During the break, Djokovic sought help from a ball girl to remove a tag from his shirt. The girl was seen cutting it, and at that time, the Serbian pretended that she had cut him, briefly leaving the girl in a state of panic before both of them laughed it off.
More from Tennis NewsFans watching the game at the centre court were seen laughing as the ball girl breathed a sigh of relief, and the incident highlighted the 14-time Grand Slam champion's mischievous character.
'It probably wasn’t that great of a joke'
Following the match, Djokovic admitted that it wasn't the best joke and apologised to the ball girl if he scared her. He added that such playful moments usually surface when he is comfortably ahead in a match rather than struggling.
"You can have eyes on the prize, be in the heart of a Grand Slam, and still create some mischief. You asked an unsuspecting ball girl to help you with your shirt to cut off a tag. Then you pretended she cut you. She nearly had a heart attack... How do you have that capacity?
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"I guess these kinds of things surface when you’re 2 sets to 0 up rather than 2 sets to 0 down. Stefanos went to change so I had some spare time… I’m sorry. I don’t know if she’s around. Sorry if I scared her. It probably wasn’t that great of a joke, I guess," Djokovic said, as quoted by The Tennis Letter.
Djokovic will next face 25th-seeded Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech as he continues his pursuit of an eighth Wimbledon crown and a record 25th Grand Slam title.
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