Novak Djokovic was unable to escape from Roger Federer at the Australian Open
Novak Djokovic demonstrated his lighter side with an amusing response to a Roger Federer-themed heckle that disrupted his play.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner was up against Frances Tiafoe in a charity tennis exhibition match in Melbourne on Sunday, ahead of the Australian Open.
As he prepared to serve against the American player, a spectator decided to inject some humour into the proceedings by calling out, “Let’s go Roger” – a nod to the Swiss legend who stands among Djokovic’s fiercest competitors.
The crowd erupted in laughter, with the Serbian seemingly joining in the amusement. The 38-year-old briefly halted play following the light-hearted interruption, flashing a broad grin while appearing to mimic the crowd’s laughter on two occasions.
Despite the momentary pause, Djokovic went on to secure a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win in what proved an encouraging comeback. He is now set to take on Spain’s Pedro Martinez in the opening round of the major tournament on Sunday.
The Serbian’s participation in the Australian Open, a competition he has claimed a record 10 times, comes after a two-month absence from competitive play. He had been scheduled to compete in last week’s Adelaide International but announced his withdrawal from that event.
His limited time on court has sparked questions about his physical condition, particularly after he abandoned a practice session after only 12 minutes on Wednesday owing to a neck issue.
Whilst his most recent Grand Slam triumph came in 2023, Djokovic made it to the semi-finals of all four major tournaments last year and revealed in December his ambition to compete for his country at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where he aims to retain his Olympic gold medal in the men’s singles.
Holger Rune addressed Djokovic’s remarkable durability and ongoing achievements, dismissing suggestions that retirement might be imminent for the Serbian star. Speaking on the Served Podcast with Andy Roddick, the Danish player remarked: “He’s [Djokovic] incredible, especially what he’s doing at this age is phenomenal.
“He’s 38 [and] still making deep runs. People questioning when he should retire, I’m like, I’m not even doing semis of every Slam, I should retire then! It’s crazy, obviously people are expecting him to win because he is who he is. But only Carlos and Jannik did more than semis of every Slam, nobody else did it last year.
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“He’s still maybe even the third-best player at the moment. But for me, what is incredible with Novak is how much being disciplined can reward you. It’s a brilliant example for me, and young players coming up.
“Hitting the return deep, the backhand, hitting the ball cross, deep line, all of these simple shots that you train in practice, sometimes that’s enough. In his career, that’s what he did so many times.”
