While Novak Djokovic’s trophy cabinet overflows with tennis’s most significant records, an intriguing narrative persists: a perception among many fans and experts that he is one of the sport’s less favored figures. A few years ago, The World Sports Network attempted to quantify this sentiment, analyzing negative tweets and Facebook reactions directed at players. Their assessment revealed that Djokovic received the highest proportion of negative tweets, nearly 15%, and around 11% negative engagement on Facebook. Considering his widely acknowledged positive demeanor off the court, the question lingers: why the apparent animosity? Whatever the reason, any such notion of widespread dislike would surely be challenged by the heartwarming scenes captured just before his quarterfinal match against Sebastian Korda.

It’s worth noting that the match was due to be played on Wednesday, but later on, it got postponed to Thursday at short notice. Reasons? Emma Raducanu’s QF match against Jessica Pegula didn’t finish until after 23:00, past the ATP’s cut-off point. Speaking about this delay in his post-match interview, Novak Djokovic showcased his displeasure by stating,

“You wait an entire day and if it’s for the rain I guess you accept it, but this was scheduled, and then the matches and everything just extended so much. The match was postponed for today, and it wasn’t too early, so it was OK to get some sleep. I didn’t go to bed until 2.30 am so it disrupts your body rhythm – so I’m just happy to come through.” Despite being a bit frustrated with a lack of sleep, Djokovic managed to win the match.

Novak Djokovic did enjoy his time during his QF match against Korda at the 2025 Miami Open. He defeated the American by 6-3,7-6(4) in that match. With that victory, he has now become the oldest ATP Masters 1000 semi-finalist in series history (since 1990), surpassing the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer, who reached the SF of the Indian Wells and the Miami Open at 37 years and seven months in 2019. However, it was his heartwarming interaction with a fan before the match which has captured everyone’s attention.

Just before entering the court, Novak Djokovic was spotted holding the hand of a kid and interacting with him with a broad smile on his face. He asked him whether it was his first time, to which, the kid responded, “yes”. After that, Djokovic came up with his second question, “Excited?” To this, the kid replied, “Super Excited.” Later on, he told him that when they would enter the court, they would wave everyone. Hearing this, the kid replied, “Especially that it’s with you.“

Several fans have now lined up to shower praise on the Serb for making the day of this little fan. 

Tennis fans can’t get enough of Djokovic’s heartwarming fan Moment

Novak Djokovic has this habit of bringing smiles to the faces of his fans. Remember that epic moment from the 2014 French Open when he was seen inviting a ball boy to sit with him on the player’s bench during the rain interruption?

The Serb even made the ball boy comfortable by taking his umbrella into his own hands to protect them from the rain. Not only that, he also gave his racket to the boy and encouraged the crowd to cheer for the young boy. Both of them had a nice chat, and he also took a bottle of Perrier and handed it to the boy to have a drink. They clinked their bottles and sat back, drinking, chatting, sitting side by side. Taking note of the recent fan interaction, a netizen wrote, “Impossible to hate this man!! 😍“

Talking about the moments before his recent QF match in Miami, some of the fans noticed the difference between him and Sebastian Korda and added, “Korda did not enter holding the child’s hand or even look at him while Djokovic entered holding hands, hugged and talked to the boy. The greatest champion of all has his differences not only on the court but in life.“

Even during the 2023 US Open, Novak Djokovic was seen sharing a heartwarming moment with a young fan at the US Open practice court. After seeing a 6-year-old kid watching him play from a balcony above the court, he asked his name, and after the youngster told his name, Djokovic replied, “Hello Ricky. You have the most beautiful smile, Ricky.”

The boy then shared that he had written a note to Djokovic on his mother’s phone, revealing a message from two years prior expressing his wish to see the Serbian star at the US Open. After hearing this, Djokovic replied, “Wow, two years ago, you wrote a note – you want to see me at the US Open. Here we go. We made it happen. Thank you, buddy. I love you.”

It was a dream-come-true moment for Ricky. Even for the kid in Miami, it was surely one of the most memorable days in his life. Highlighting this moment, a fan commented, “aww what a sweet day for this kid, entering the centre court with the GOAT.” Is Djokovic’s fan base only restricted to kids, though?

Well, during the 2025 AO, he meet his oldest fan, Janola Stoika. He first met Janola as a teenager back in 2005, and even then, Janola had the foresight to tell the young Djokovic that he would go on to win numerous Grand Slam titles. Novak Djokovic, who is now a 24-time Grand Slam champion, said at the time, “It is amazing to see them after all these years. Thank you very much for your support.”

About his recent interaction at the Miami Open, a moment that will likely be remembered as one of Djokovic’s encounters with his youngest fans ever, a social media user said, “They made each other’s day, it was such a sweet moment.“

Novak Djokovic, who loves engaging with his fans, was once seen joining his young fans in Dubai in a viral TikTok video at the Rackets Academy. “The most generous, kindest, sweetest heart made of gold on the tour. He is real inspiration and Legend, imagine that you can get a chance to meet Novak one day,” wrote a fan for this Miami moment.

Novak Djokovic is currently two wins away from clinching his 100th ATP title in his career. Can he beat Grigor Dimitrov in the SF match and bring more joy to these fans? Share your thoughts in the comment box.