Novak Djokovic banned from riding his bike around Wimbledon grounds

He may have a mercurial touch with a tennis racket in his hand, but a near crash on his bicycle has led to Novak Djokovic being banned from cycling around the grounds at Wimbledon.

According to the Daily Mail, an official at the All England Club told the world number one that he couldn't ride any more after he nearly collided with a supply vehicle in the build up to the tournament.

Djokovic, who began his title defence against Britain's James Ward on Monday lunchtime, reportedly liked to cycle round the grounds to aid his conditioning, with several steep climbs for him to take in.

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But a Wimbledon player-liason official said that it was for Djokovic's own safety that he didn't ride around any more.

The player was reportedly unhappy about the ban, given that he hadn't broken any rules, but a Wimbledon spokesman said that cycling wasn't encouraged during or in the build up to the Championships.