The 2024 Indian Wells has already provided many notable anecdotes and a few surprises along the way. But none more surprising than the loss and elimination of Novak Djokovic so early in the tournament. Italian player Luca Nardi, who entered as a ‘Lucky Loser’, defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the third round and sent the World No.1 packing.
It was one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament. However, during the match, a certain tennis rule was implemented and caught everyone’s attention. It is the ‘Hindrance’ rule.
Hindrance, as its literal meaning stands, indicates any distraction, that prevents a tennis player from playing his/her shot. Midway into the Novak Djokovic vs Luca Nardi match, when the score was 6-4, 0-2, Nardi played a shot that was conceived as ‘Hindrance’ by Djokovic. Nardi’s arms were in the motion of playing a long, hard shot.
But he broke his rhythm in between, changed the motion of his arm, and from almost about to play a hard shot, Nardi played a soft one. Djokovic clearly interpreted this as Nardi stopping before hitting. That called for ‘Hindrance’.
The game was stopped midway for a while, with Djokovic arguing with the chair umpire and appealing for a ‘Hindrance’. Unfortunately for him, the chair umpire did not consider that a hindrance. Here’s what his words were in response to Djokovic’s:
“He reacted to the call, he didn’t make a call, he didn’t actually stop the point,” said the Umpire. He continued, “Just because he stopped doesn’t mean the point stops.”
The argument went on for a while before Djokovic gave up and accepted his fate. Djokovic went on to win that set, and so it didn’t matter much. He, however, lost the final set and therefore, lost the match.
Some notable occurrences of a ‘Hindrance’
A ‘Hindrance’ in tennis also occurs when a player intentionally grunts, quite audibly, to distract his opponent. Deliberate movements outside one’s usual routine can also be considered a ‘Hindrance’. External noises from the crowd or otherwise aren’t in anyone’s control and therefore, cannot be claimed as ‘Hindrance’. However, if the opponent’s mobile phone rings during a game, it will be considered a ‘Hindrance’.
At the 2023 Wimbledon, Djokovic was at the receiving end of a ‘Hindrance’ call by the chair umpire. It was the semi-final match against Jannik Sinner, which Djokovic won 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). But during a match point, the Serbian player made a loud noise and the umpire called it a ‘Hindrance’. It generated tremendous controversy and drew wild reactions, with John McEnroe calling it “Horrible”.
Some other examples of this ruling would be Serena Williams at the 2011 US Open against Sam Stosur, where she yelled ‘Come On’ and Daniil Medvedev at the 2021 Toronto Open, when he said “Sorry” in the middle of a point against Alexander Bublik. The referee called it a ‘Hindrance’ and Medvedev couldn’t believe it.
