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Novak Djokovic's adorable moment with son exposes 'archaic' Wimbledon rule

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Top seed and World No.1 Novak Djokovic has cruised into the French Open third round and admitted it had been an emotional day playing for the first time in front of his four-year-old son.

Djokovic, bidding to become just the second man to hold all four Slams at the same time twice, cruised to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win over Swiss lucky loser Henri Laaksonen.

And watching like an angel from the player's box on Court Suzanne Lenglen was Djokovic's son Stefan.

Stefan Djokovic was in the house for Novak's win. Image: Getty
Stefan Djokovic was in the house for Novak's win. Image: Getty

"It's a very special day for me as it's the first time in my life that I have played in front of my son," said the 32-year-old Serb.

"He showed incredible patience to sit there for an hour and a half.

"Usually, he's not that patient with tennis."

Wimbledon shown up

Last July, Stefan joined in with the celebrations on Centre Court as Djokovic claimed a fourth Wimbledon title.

However, he was not allowed to watch the final against Kevin Anderson as the All England Club bans all children under the age of five from attending during a match, a rule slammed as “archaic” by fans at the time.

After claiming the 13th grand slam crown of his storied career, Djokovic revealed how Stefan was the inspiration behind his stunning return to the top of his game.

Stefan Djokovic waves at his father. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)
Stefan Djokovic waves at his father. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)

“This is amazing and extra special as I have someone screaming, ‘daddy, daddy’,” the jubilant champion said at the time.

“He wasn’t allowed into the matches because he is under five, but we were hoping if this happened, if I hold the trophy, he can be there to witness it, so I couldn’t be happier.”

Djokovic goes on to face Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso, ranked 147, for a place in the last 16 in Paris.

Thursday was a lot more enjoyable for Djokovic than his last visit to Court Suzanne Lenglen in 2018 when he was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Marco Cecchinato.

His win over World No.104 Laaksonen was his 23rd straight at the Slams as he reached the third round in Paris for the 14th consecutive year.

Caruso, 26, upset French 26th seed Gilles Simon 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the third round of a Slam for the first time.