The incredible achievements of Novak Djokovic and Nikola Jokic in their respective sports are the reasons why this is the golden age of sports for Serbia. Both these star players are on the cusp of making history in their respective sports. Just like how Djokovic is one win away from his record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title, the Denver Nuggets star Jokic is also one win away from his maiden NBA championship. When asked about this in a press conference, he said that Djokovic texted him. Though Jokic didn’t reveal the details of what the text entailed, he was quick enough to lavish praise on Djokovic.
Receiving a message from a towering legend like Novak Djokovic can lift the spirits of anyone. And this could be true for Jokic as well, despite Jokic being a legend himself. For his part, Jokic praised the tennis legend as well, calling him one of the greatest players, if not ‘the’ greatest ever.
Nikola Jokic all praise for his compatriot Novak Djokovic
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The two-time NBA MVP (Most Valuable Player) award winner Nikola Jokic voiced his praise for his stellar countryman Novak Djokovic. Jokic, by his own admission, said that he doesn’t have Djokovic’s number, but by mutually knowing their sports exploits, they regularly congratulate each other. He was seemingly thrilled during the press conference and who wouldn’t be.
The Nuggets star said, “He texted me, yes, he texted me for real. He’s amazing, of course, in his sport and he’s making the history every time and probably he’s gonna go down as one of the best ever if not the best ever.”
Jokic further added, “He has a nice opportunity to win another one and having him as a countryman and him representing our country, I think it’s a great honor. And I think that the people of Serbia are really happy that we have him as our countryman”.?
"That he represents us in the world…it's a great honor."
Nikola Jokic on getting a text from Novak Djokovic 🔊#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/VXbiewefMX
— NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2023
The two ‘serious jokers’ Jokic and Djokovic
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Both these athletes are nicknamed ‘Joker’ (‘Djoker’ for Djokovic) by their fans of their respective sports. But though their nicknames are such, when they are set to play, they are anything but that. With their crazy intensity and high level with which they play one can never refer them to such a moniker.
Achieving a single MVP in itself is a monumental thing, but to do that for three consecutive years is quite ridiculous. Previously Djokovic had said this about Jokic after his 4th round win in the French Open: ?NBA league is the biggest and most important basketball league in the world. To be able to be the best player in that league for three years in a row is just stunning.?
In tennis, it is Djokovic who has been the dominant player for more than a decade or so. Once it was Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam titles that looked daunting. Then, it was Federer and Nadal’s 20. But Djokovic now has accelerated with such precision and speed, he is now a win away from making it a record 23 Grand Slam titles. Admittedly, one would run out of superlatives to explain the greatness of Djokovic. All of his Serbian fans and supporters all over the globe would hope that he would achieve the landmark by beating Casper Ruud tomorrow.
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