Melbourne: A spectator watching the Novak Djokovic-Fernando Verdasco on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night dropped down to one knee and proposed to his partner, in front of a capacity crowd.
He popped the question to his girlfriend during the middle of the game according to reports in Daily Mail.
Djokovic had just prevailed over Verdasco to take the second set when the stadium’s ‘kiss cam’ captured the heartwarming moment for thousands of tennis fans around the country.
The 1,500 strong audience erupted into applause when the man popped the question- and waited with bated breath until she said yes.
The camera panned to the happy couple, who celebrated the very public moment as many of the spectators in the arena stood to congratulate them with resounding claps.
The man then took a moment to respond to the watching crowd, throwing his fists in the air as a sign of success, prompting rapturous applause.
Even the four-time Australian Open winner took a moment to show his well wishes, turning in his seat as he rested from the intense competition.
As the newly engaged couple took a seat, the man exhaled and tapped his heart, appearing relieved.
One of the commentators said that the man appeared to be quite nervous. “Was it because it the proposal was inside the stadium or because she might have said no?” he asked.
“It was not long ago that Djokovic was in a similar situation,” the commentator said.
Djokovic seemed to take direction from the newly engaged couple, wishing his mother a happy birthday after beating Verdasco, the number 31 seed in three straight sets.
While being interviewed in the post-match Q&A, he asked if the crowd would sing his mother a happy birthday. The crowd joined him in singing to her, and the world number one laughed as he sang to the camera and blew his mother a kiss.
Tennis fans around the world flocked to social media to offer their congratulations and comment on the unexpected turn of events.
While some Twitter users labelled the event ‘cute’ and ‘exciting’, others said it was ‘cheesy’ and ‘silly’.
“What a show pony,” said one Twitter user. “What would’ve happened had she turned him down?” asked another.
The majority of tweeters appeared to be in support of the move, with several expressing their desire for a similar event to happen to them. “Love and tennis…Not every day you see this!!” said one Twitter user.
