Novak Djokovic battled through the Paris heat, winning the first two sets against Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-4 in the third round of the French Open. But just when Djokovic was hoping to catch a breath during the changeover, his frustration boiled over as a cameraman got a little too close.

“Can you come more in my face? For God’s sake make some space,” the Serb said directly to the cameraman, loud enough for the moment to be caught on broadcast and quickly picked up.

The player has never been afraid to express himself, either on or off the court, and it was just a little irritation. By design, cameras at the French Open are close to the action, but Djokovic certainly felt the line had been crossed at this moment. 

The outburst did not seem to affect him in the short term. He had been all over the first two, accumulating 49 winners to Fonseca’s 36, and was attacking the net all match long, overcoming 23 points to the latter’s 12. The Brazilian, however, hit back in the third, taking it 6-3 to keep the match alive. 

The fourth set was tied at 5-5 at the time of writing, and the match was still tight. Now, at 39, Djokovic remains a constant presence on the major stages and his performance in the first two sets against one of the most explosive young players in the world had been a testament to that. With Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz both out of the draw, he has huge chance to grab his 25th Grand Slam. Whether he closes it out or whether Fonseca forces a fifth will go a long way in shaping the story of this Roland Garros fortnight.

This is a developing story…