Djokovic was angry when his opponent hit him with the ball

While leading 2-1, 30-40 in the second set, Djokovic tried to save the ball from Norrie's tackle on the net. Nole's ball was light and high, allowing Norrie to smash near the net. Djokovic turned away because he thought he would definitely lose points, but was still hit in the leg by Norrie with great force. Nole turned to look at Norrie, and the Great Britain player bowed his head in apology and immediately turned away. This angered Djokovic and continued to stare at his opponent.

Tensions escalated as Norrie celebrated her next game's scores with loud shouts, sometimes directed at Nole. When the two players changed courts after the fifth game of the second set, Djokovic looked at the world No. 13 opponent with an unfriendly look.

Djokovic took advantage of the breakpoint in the hinge game to win 6-3, 6-4. The two tennis players shook hands and went straight. Djokovic, despite the victory, was still frustrated.

After the match, Djokovic said he watched Norrie's slow-motion smash. "You would probably say he didn't mean to hit me," Djokovic said after the match. "Not just that action. From calling for medical attention when about to lose, hitting the ball, or shouting. "He punched his opponent in the face at every win. He did what was allowed. But we players understand that's not fair-play, it's not the way we treat each other."

The performance in the match against Norrie is considered Djokovic's best since the beginning of the clay season. Previously, he attended two clay tournaments, the Monte Carlo Masters and the Srpska Open, but was eliminated in the third round and quarterfinals respectively. At the Rome Masters, Djokovic won three matches in a row and reached the quarterfinals against seventh seed Holger Rune.

Djokovic admitted that Norrie's unkind actions made him more determined to beat the opponent. "I don't allow anyone to treat me like that," said the world number one. "He brings the fire, and I give it back. What happens on the pitch, we leave it on the pitch and move on."

Djokovic also said that he was surprised by the behavior of Norrie - whom he had practiced with many times. "He's very nice off the pitch, so I don't understand why he has that attitude on the pitch."

Djokovic certainly lost the world number one position after the Rome Masters to Carlos Alcaraz - who was eliminated in the third round when he lost to Fabian Marozsan. This makes Nole only seeded number two at Roland Garros - the clay Grand Slam tournament starting May 28.