Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena reacts to Serbian's 'secret gesture' about impending Australian Open heroics after Adelaide International 1 triumph
Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena was thrilled after a fan pointed out the Serb's secret gesture following his win at the Adelaide International 1.
Djokovic started his 2023 season at the Adelaide International 1 and booked his place in the final with straight-sets wins over Constant Lestienne, Quentin Halys, Denis Shapovalov, and Daniil Medvedev.
The 21-time Grand Slam winner faced Sebastian Korda in the title clash and saved a championship point before winning 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4. What many did not notice was his celebration after the match, until a fan pointed it out.
Djokovic touched his temple with his index finger 22 times, thus signaling that he would win his 22nd Grand Slam title, which he did a few weeks later, at the Australian Open.
The Serb's wife Jelena shared a video of her husband's secret celebration on her Instagram stories, with her caption reading:
"Well spotted."
Novak Djokovic equaled Rafael Nadal's Grand Slam tally by winning 2023 Australian Open
Novak Djokovic won this year's Australian Open by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the final. This was his record-extending tenth triumph at the Melbourne Major and he also equaled Rafael Nadal's record for 22 Grand Slam singles titles.
His victory at the Australian Open also saw him return to the top of the ATP rankings, dethroning Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic eventually went on to break Steffi Graf's record for the most number of weeks as World No. 1 for any tennis player, male or female, when he started his 378th week at the top.
The Serb's most recent appearance on the ATP tour came at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he was the top seed. He reached the semifinals of the ATP 500 tournament with wins over Tomas Machac, Tallon Griekspoor and Hubert Hurkacz before losing 6-4, 6-4 to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev.
The 35-year-old is not competing in Indian Wells and Miami Masters as he could not travel to the United States due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19. He will lose the World No. 1 ranking if Carlos Alcaraz goes on to win the Indian Wells Masters.
Djokovic is scheduled to return to action during the claycourt season by competing in the Monte-Carlo Masters. He suffered a disappointing second-round exit at last year's edition of the Masters 1000 tournament but will be among the heavy favorites to win it this year.