ESPN has faced severe backlash over the past few days for its questionable Wimbledon coverage. Fans had recently expressed their frustration after the broadcaster moved access to SW19 to the ESPN Unlimited platform, which charges a $30 monthly fee. Now the primary broadcaster of the tournament in the USA has once again come under intense scrutiny, but for a very different reason.

Many were left agitated after ESPN decided to broadcast Coco Gauff‘s clash against Tamara Korpatsch over Novak Djokovic‘s encounter against Wu Yibing. Notably, even though both matches were initially scheduled to begin at different timings, they eventually ended up starting very close to each other.

This was mainly because Djokovic’s clash was delayed after Jannik Sinner’s match against Miomir Kecmanovic got dragged on to five sets at the Centre Court. As a result, fans had to wait longer to catch the Serbian in action. So, their frustration was understandable after ESPN switched to a different match instead.

There was a notable buzz about Djokovic’s clash as it was his first-ever tour-level meeting with Yibing. Though the Serb was the clear favorite, he was drawn against the highest-ranked player, Wu Yibing (No. 54), raising the stakes. But fans couldn’t catch the action thanks to ESPN leaning towards Gauff’s outing.

The outrage grew after Gauff’s clash against Korpatsch proved to be pretty one-sided. The American was dominant from the onset and clinched the encounter 6-2, 6-1 in just 54 minutes. Despite the ease, this was an important win for Gauff as not only was it her first grass-court win in two years, but it also ended her three-match losing streak on the surface. Having been eliminated from the first rounds of the Berlin Open and Wimbledon last year, she had suffered another defeat in her opening match at the German capital to Paula Badosa just a few days ago.

It was pretty much a flawless display from Gauff as her serve wasn’t broken throughout the match and she only committed two double-faults. She would take the first set by winning four games in a row, before repeating the feat in the second set. While Korpatsch couldn’t earn a single break point, Gauff converted four out of the nine points she got.

Though grass is certainly not Gauff’s preferred surface, this result will give her a lot of confidence as she aims to break into the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in her career.

While the fans were certainly happy for Gauff, they didn’t quite have the same feelings over ESPN for showing her match over Djokovic. It wasn’t a surprise that they lashed out at the broadcaster on social media.

Fans left enraged after ESPN snubs Novak Djokovic’s match

One fan couldn’t believe ESPN prioritized Gauff’s match over Djokovic, one of the most successful players in the pantheon of Grand Slams. “ESPN you put on Coco Gauff over the GOAT?!?!?”

Another fan questioned why the broadcaster preferred Gauff over Djokovic, highlighting that the Serb has won the tournament seven times. “@ESPN why are you featuring gauff now while DJOKOVIC, a WIMBLEDON champion, is on court? BORING.”

ESPN’s decision invited such widespread ire that certain fans shifted to a different channel. “Lol. ESPN is showing Coco. Well, good luck Novak. Guess I’m not watching you today either. Great job by @espn getting me to put on @FOXSports instead.”

One of the fans dragged Canadian broadcaster TSN into the conversation and criticized them for replicating ESPN’s decision. “Hey @TSNSports why isn’t one of the feeds showing Djokovic’s match which most would like to see rather than Coco Gauff. This is ridiculous.”

Djokovic’s match against Yibing has turned out to be an even contest, unlike Gauff’s clash. Though the Serb had won the first set comfortably 6-4, Yibing bounced back in the second and clinched it 7-5 to level the match. It remains to be seen if Djokovic will be able to turn the tide in his favor in the third set.