Novak Djokovic’s on court rant watched by his wife Jelena has been ‘decoded’ by internet sleuths who claim he declared ‘I could kill right now’.
The Serbian great exploded in anger during his five-set thriller with Francisco Cerundulo in the fourth round at the French Open earlier today.
A Serbian speaker told MailOnline Novak was seen saying ‘I could kill right now’ before Jelena supportively urged him ‘come on’.
In Serbia, a declaration of being so angry they could kill is meant very much in a jokey way and not to be taken literally.
Despite his epic win, Djokovic has since withdrawn from Wednesday’s quarter-final against Casper Ruud due to a knee injury.
Novak Djokovic reached the French Open quarter-finals by overcoming Francisco Cerundolo
The reigning champion was seen in a tense exchange with his wife Jelena during the match
Jelena encourages Djokovic after he dropped a point on serve
Djokovic was once again taken to five sets in his up-and-down French Open campaign, having gone the distance with Lorenzo Musetti in a clash that ended after 3am on Sunday morning.
Djokovic entered the competition as the reigning champion but hadn’t consistently been able to show the form that he has showcased throughout his incredible career.
On Monday with his title defence 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 angry.
He then walked back 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 between Djokovic and Jelena, as he gestured angrily with his hands and shouted up at his team.
Jelena was then seen standing up in the box, 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, 37, is a self-described ‘curious soul’, and founder of the Novak Djokovic Foundation.
The charity, which 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 daughter Tara Djokovic.
But their marriage has been plagued by cheating rumours over the last decade.
In 2019, the couple were pursued by split rumours after Jelena didn’t attend any of his matches at Wimbledon, The Sun reported.
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.’
Djokovic has also fuelled rumours through his friendships with other women including Serbian pop star Natasa Bekvalac and his ex-girlfriend DJ Lady Lee. Although they have both shut down suggestions of anything untoward going on.
It is this philanthropic work which Jelena considers to be among the ‘most significant’ things she and her athlete husband have done.
Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena Djokovic are pictured at the Laureus World Sports Awards gala in Madrid on April 22
Jelena (pictured) could be seen spurring Djokovic on following his angry outburst
The exchange was seemingly over after he returned to his service position and his wife then sat down
Cerundolo, ranked No 27 in the world, gave a good account of himself but was still defeated
The world No 1 was struggling with a knee problem, which led to him having treatment
Djokovic was due to take on Ruud of Norway, who has been to four sets in his last two outings after another five setter against Alejandro Davidovich Fokana.
In securing his spot in Wednesday’s last-eight clash, Djokovic also earned himself another record to add to his list of incredible feats.
He earned his 370th Grand Slam win on Monday, surpassing Roger Federer’s 369 that he had drawn level with against Musetti to take the record outright.
Hobbled by a right knee injury, raging at the state of the court, trailing by two sets to one and by a break, the 37-year-old survived by the almost supernatural power of his will.
Djokovic showed impressive resilience as he managed to persevere in difficult circumstances
Following his latest victory, Djokovic has now amassed a record-breaking 370 Grand Slam wins
At four hours and 39 minutes it was Djokovic’s longest ever match at the French Open, but it was not without toll on his body.
He revealed that he will be having tests on his knee on Tuesday, and had contemplated pulling out of the match.
‘For the last couple weeks I have had slight discomfort in the right knee,’ he revealed after yet another incredible win.
‘But I was playing with it and no issues until today. Of course the late finish from few nights ago didn’t help.
‘In the third game of the second set, I slipped, one of the many times I slipped and fell today. That affected the knee.
‘At one point I didn’t know, to be honest, whether I should continue. I got medication and then, after the third set, I asked for more.
‘That was the maximum dose that kicked in after 30 to 45 minutes, which was just about the end of the fourth when things started to really improve.
‘Basically the whole fifth set was almost without any pain. But the effect of the medication will not last for too long. We have done some tests with the doctor after the match. Some positive news but also some concerns, so let’s see tomorrow.’
