WATCH: Novak Djokovic and wife Jelena engage in animated argument during Serb's dramatic French Open 4R comeback win
Novak Djokovic and wife Jelena were captured arguing animatedly during the Serb's miraculous fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo at the French Open. The argument erupted during the third game of the decisive fifth set, with the game level at 30-30.
Djokovic, visibly frustrated with something, used a combination of words and hand gestures to communicate with his wife, who was in his box. Jelena, not one to take things lying down, also got up from her seat and responded to the Serb similarly.
Watch the animated spat between Djokovic and Jelena below:
It turned out to be a grueling outing for the World No. 1, as a knee injury sustained by the Serb early in the second set appeared to have a lasting impact. Even though he had comfortably won the first set 6-1, his sluggish movement resulted in Cerundolo taking the second and third sets. The Argentine looked the favorite to win after establishing a 4-2 lead in the fourth set.
However, that's when Djokovic stormed back into the contest, with his movement suddenly looking a lot sharper. The 24-time Grand Slam winner took the set 7-5, and there was no looking back as he made short work of Cerundolo in the fifth set, winning it 6-3 and sealing his progress to the quarterfinals. The four-hour and 39-minute thriller also proved to be an emotional rollercoaster ride for Jelena.
It was Djokovic's second-consecutive five-setter at Roland Garros this year. He had come back from a similar deficit to win against Lorenzo Musetti in the previous round. The win also marked the World No. 1's 370th victory in Grand Slams, as he surpassed great rival Roger Federer's previous record of 369 wins.
Novak Djokovic to face Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals in a rematch of last year's French Open final
Djokovic is slated to face Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals. The Norwegian, a two-time French Open finalist, came out on top against Taylor Fritz in the fourth round.
The Serb leads Ruud 5-1 in their ATP Tour head-to-head. However, the latter would be optimistic going into their 2024 French Open quarterfinal clash given that he got the better of Djokovic in their last meeting in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this year.
However, there is no guarantee yet that Djokovic will step out on the court to take on Ruud amid the issue he is facing with his right knee. If the matchup does take place, the winner will go on to meet either Alex de Minaur or Alexander Zverev.