Novak Djokovic fights back tears on court as Jim Courier catches him off guard at Aus Open | Tennis | Sport

Novak Djokovic was left holding back tears on court after Jim Courier got the nine-time Australian Open champion talking about both of his kids and their hobbies following the Serbian’s majestic win over Alex de Minaur. Djokovic faced his toughest test on paper at the Australian Open against home favourite De Minaur.

The Aussie was tipped to test Djokovic to the max, particularly with the Serbian struggling with a hamstring issue. But there was no signs of Djokovic’s injury affecting his game through the fourth-round match.

After a closely contested opening four games, Djokovic soon ran away with it and wrapped up the match in comfortable fashion. He needed little over two hours to dispatch De Minaur and progress to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open for the 13th time in his career.

Speaking after the match, Djokovic admitted that he felt no issue in his hamstring throughout the contest. And Courier, who conducted the on-court interview with Djokovic, wanted to ‘lighten the mood’ by asking about the tennis icon’s two kids.

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First, the American asked about Stefan, 8, and the boy’s love for tennis with Djokovic gushing with pride. “He’s playing, he’s enjoying himself,” Djokovic replied.

“The important thing is he’s enjoying himself, just loving what he’s doing. Whether it’s tennis or whatever sport. As a father, I want him to be active, to be healthy.

“He loves tennis. Whenever I’m at home, there’s no tennis break for me because I play with him every day and it’s the most beautiful thing that I could ever experience in my life being a father of wonderful two little angels and who knows, maybe one day Stefan and I come back here playing doubles with you guys.”