India, June 7 -- Novak Djokovic quickly packed his bags, and then placed it on Court Philippe-Chatrier and applauded the crowd. He blew kisses, tapped his chest, folded his hands, gave the thumbs up. He lifted his bags again and began to walk before stopping again. Bending over, he kissed his hand and tapped the red dirt of Roland Garros.

"This is not usual," came the call from the commentary box. Was this Djokovic's farewell to the French Open?

No one in the stands remained seated as the man who had won three Coupe de Mousquetaires walked off the court. A great generalisation of the crowds at the Parisian Grand Slam is that they cheer for home players and the underdog.

As absurd as it may seem, Djokovic, as a 24-time Grand Slam champi...