The Serbian great – who has since withdrawn from Wednesday’s quarter-final against Casper Ruud due to a knee injury – was once again taken to five sets as his up-and-down French Open campaign continues, having gone the distance with Lorenzo Musetti in a clash that ended after 3 am on Sunday.
Djokovic entered the competition as the reigning champion but hadn’t consistently been able to show the form that he has showcased throughout his staggering career at this year’s French Open.
On Monday with his title defense again on the line, Djokovic found himself a break up at 2-0 in the decisive fifth set, but after conceding a point for 30-30 he was visibly incensed.
He then returned to pick up more balls to begin his next service, before turning to his family in the box on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The cameras caught the tense exchange, with Djokovic gesturing angrily with his hands and shouting up at his team.
His wife Jelena can then be seen standing up in the box in the stands, responding in kind to her husband.
After a few seconds, the exchange was over and Djokovic returned to what he does best – pulling victories out of the jaws of defeat.
He eventually sealed his spot in the quarter-finals with a 6-3 win in the fifth to make it 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 before withdrawing from the tournament on Tuesday.
Jelena Djokovic, 37, is a self-described ‘curious soul’, and founder of the Novak Djokovic Foundation.
The charity she runs with her husband seeks to help children achieve their full potential by investing in early childhood development, notably in early years education.
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Jelena left her home country to study abroad when she was 18. She moved to Italy and then to Morocco where she has lived for the last 12 years.
The couple started dating in 2005 before getting engaged in 2013. Together they have two children, a son Steven Djokovic, and a daughter Tara Djokovic.
But their marriage has been plagued by cheating rumors over the last decade.
In 2019, the couple was pursued by split rumors after Jelena didn’t attend any of his matches at Wimbledon, it was reported in The Sun.
The couple insisted this was due to their daughter being too young to attend, but their fifth wedding anniversary also went unmarked.
Comments were made by tennis expert John McEnroe in July 2017 who inferred Djokovic’s poor form was due to family issues and likened this decline to Tiger Woods who split from his wife after it was revealed he had cheated on her with 120 women.
According to The Sun, McEnroe said: ‘Woods had the issues with his wife and then he seemed to go completely off the rails and has never been even close to being the same player.’
Novak was taken aback by the comments but said: ‘He has his right to say the things he wants to say. I don’t necessarily need to agree with it. But it’s his right.