Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Novak Djokovic Sends Message to Aryna Sabalenka Amid French Open

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 7:41 AM ET

Novak Djokovic is not letting Aryna Sabalenka one-up him in their battle ... dance battle, that is.

Amid the French Open, Djokovic and Sabalenka have started a dance-off/victory pose showdown. It began when Djoker imitated Sabalenka's victory pose after he beat British star Cameron Norrie in the fourth round of the clay Grand Slam.

Djokovic did it on purpose to troll Sabalenka, even mentioning the World No. 1 of women's tennis.

It started an online back-and-forth between the two, but it didn't stop there. Sabalenka, for her part, responded to Djokovic with another dance following her win over Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Sabalenka danced while her theme song, "Tiger," was played in the background. The Belarusian star then said, "How about that, Nole?"

Now, on Wednesday, the 38-year-old Djoker had the perfect response to the obvious challenge as he celebrated his quarterfinal win over Alexander Zverev. While going down the stairs of Court Philippe-Chatrier, Djokovic did an air guitar gesture before saying, "What about that, Sabalenka!"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros)

Sure enough, Novak Djokovic's actions sparked a flurry of reactions, with the ATP Tour social media commenting laughing emojis.

"I love this back and forth and their friendship soooo much," a fan added. Another one shared, "Nole and Saba, like back in the days-winning duo. Now that's what I call a challenge and motivation. Winning and figuring a better choreography."

"Aryna & Novak have to win Roland Garros 2025 and dance together with their trophies," a follower remarked.

A viewer noted, "What a great match this was."

It remains to be seen how Sabalenka will respond to Djokovic's challenge, but fans can certainly expect her to fire back should she win in the semifinals against Iga Swiatek.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: