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It was certainly a special moment for Novak Djokovic at the US Open, where he achieved another historic feat on the tour. The 36-year-old outperformed his Russian opponent, Daniil Medvedev, to clinch his third major title of the season. With a total of 24 Grand Slam titles now under his name, the ‘Djoker’ has now established himself in the number 1 spot of the tally on both the tennis circuits.

After pulling off this phenomenal accomplishment, the Serbian tennis star decided to honor his friend and NBA legend, Kobe Bryant, who always supported him through thick and thin. The new world No. 1 wore a t-shirt with “Mamba Forever” imprinted on the front as he hailed the Los Angeles Lakers icon. Reminiscing about the same, a renowned sports commentator recently opened up about his views on the endearing moment in New York.

American sportscaster on Novak Djokovic’s tribute to Kobe Bryant

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In the ‘Tennis Channel Inside-In’ podcast show, the renowned sports commentator Ari Wolfe expressed his views on the close relationship that the Serb had with the NBA Hall of Famer. Wolfe asserted that Djokovic “leaned on” Kobe Bryant to seek inspiration and learn about his winner’s mentality.

He said, “But what separated Kobe was his mental toughness, his will to win and the fact that Novak connected with Kobe and they had the tight relationship and he leaned on Kobe to learn some of these things. Yeah, I think that speaks to Novak realizing that greatness can come in different sports and that he could learn from some of the greats. “

While calling Djokovic’s tribute to Bryant a ‘special moment’, the American sportscaster said the ATP superstar often looks up to such great sporting icons in order to become a better competitor. Wolfe said, “But I loved it I thought it was a special moment and I think it tells you a lot about Novak seeking out guys that had incredible mental toughness and so those are the guys he looks to to learn to how to be a better competitor.”

Apart from this, the American also opened up about how the Serb’s post-victory act might have won the hearts of many fans.

Wolfe on how Djokovic’s gesture might get him some admirers

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During the podcast show, the sports commentator claimed that the ATP legend wants to be loved by more fans. Wolfe went on to say that the Serb’s tribute to the LA Lakers legend was an opportunity for the fans to admire and respect him even more. He said, “So I thought when he you know had the 24 and he recognized Kobe you know, I know Djokovic wants to be loved more than he is but when he shows that part of himself I think that that’s an opportunity for people to love him a little bit more.”

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Wolfe added, “You know, that was a moment I thought there was a little bit of risk in it to see how it’d be you know how it’d be taken how it be perceived connecting himself in that moment to Kobe”

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What do you think of Djokovic’s endearing tribute to the NBA legend? Let us know in the comments section.

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