Jelena Djokovic has conceded that she and Novak Djokovic‘s children adore Felix Auger-Aliassime after their mammoth five-hour and 15-minute Wimbledon quarter-final on Centre Court. They played out the longest last-eight match in championships history, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion winning 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(4).
Djokovic’s wife has now shared that their children – Stefan, 11, and Tara, 8 – look up to the Canadian as a role model and reminded him that there is plenty to be proud of in defeat. She described Auger-Aliassime’s performance as incredible and said they will be cheering for him in the future, in a heartfelt comment on his latest Instagram post.
That message followed an emotional one from the quarter-finalist, which reads: “In the process of trying to digest this loss, I find myself using it as fuel to bring myself back to moments like this again. The greatest improvements I can make will come from competing in matches like this, experiencing emotions like this and learning from them until I eventually come out on the other side.”
Within an hour of Auger-Aliassime posting that, Jelena commented: “You were incredible last night, Felix. Our kids adore you, and you are a wonderful role model. One had to come out as a winner in that match, but there is so much to be proud of. We will be cheering for you!”
The quarter-final was just the third time they have met on the ATP Tour, with their previous two matches taking place four years ago in 2022. The first was at the Italian Open quarter-finals, where Djokovic won in straight sets en route to winning the title in Rome, and then at the Laver Cup, Auger-Aliassime exacted revenge to help Team World triumph.
However, their latest meeting was by far the most agonising for the loser, as their previous matches had been straight-set wins either way. The Canadian, though, spoke about how tough it was in his press conference afterwards.
Auger-Aliassime said: “Amazing fight, amazing battle with a legend of our sport. It is what it is. Obviously, it’s tough for me. Quarters in Paris (at the French Open and) here.
“I had other chances in my career where tight matches like this didn’t go my way. I’ll have to see what I can do so it goes my way the next time. For now, I can be proud of the fight, and then I move on, move on to what’s next.”