This is just the boost that Novak Djokovic was looking for, isn’t it? The Serbian tennis legend has arrived in Rome in style to participate in the Italian Open. Djokovic has been struggling with poor form and fatigue due to which he has failed to win a title yet this season. It is a rare occasion that the Serb enters the clay-court season empty-handed, which proves his struggles this season. However, he will hope that fortunes turn in his favor after he received a welcome surprise.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is a global superstar and has fans all across the globe. Rome was no exception, as fans turned out in large numbers to meet their hero. The official Twitter handle of the ATP Tour shared a video which showed Djokovic arriving for a practice session in a golf cart-type vehicle.
What was interesting to observe was that as soon as he was spotted arriving, hundreds of fans moved towards him and surrounded Djokovic. While some stopped by to click a selfie, others went to greet their hero and shake hands with him. As soon as the video was shared on social media, it gained massive traction, and thousands of fans reacted to it.
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⭐️ INCREDIBLE scenes ⭐️
It's NOVAK MANIA in Rome 🫶🤗@DjokerNole | @InteBNLdItalia | #IBI24 pic.twitter.com/X2owMofsSS
— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 8, 2024
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Djokovic has been well-guarded by his fans during his highs and lows of his tennis career. They have always backed their hero when things haven’t gone his way and cheered for him during his victories. Recently, one such incident came to light, which invited the wrath of his fans.
Toni Nadal slammed for his comments on Novak Djokovic
During an interview, Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, drew comparisons between the Big 3 comprising Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Nadal. Speaking about it, he said, “Djokovic has a little more desire to be the best in history. Rafael always led a normal life and played tennis. Living a normal life, eating normal, going to football, doing this and that because he was interested and because I got used to it in the beginning like that.”
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Further, he went on to add, “All the Big 3 wanted to be the best, but question isn’t who wants to be the best but who was willing to pay a bigger price.”
However, Toni Nadal’s comments didn’t go down well with his fans, who slammed him for this comparison. Further, being the top seed in Rome, Djokovic received a bye in the opening round. He will face the winner of the match between Corentin Moutet and Roman Safiullin.