Novak Djokovic is regarded as one of the best in tennis history. The ATP has not seen many players of his caliber. The Serbian player has attained accolades that no other player has managed to attain in their lifespan. Regarded as a heavy contender for the GOAT of the sport, Djokovic met the GOAT contender of soccer, Lionel Messi, briefly. He recently talked about his experience meeting the Argentine star.
This was not the Serbian superstar’s first encounter with Messi. He also once met him before when Messi was still playing for PSG along with another star player from the Parisian club. He is a fan of the Samba specialist and asked for his autograph, mostly because of his daughter.
Novak Djokovic talks about the time he met Lionel Messi
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Despite a year’s absence, Djokovic is loving his time in the US Open. Winning the Cincinnati Masters did wonders for the player as he came into the tournament with a new tenacity. His eyes are only on the big prize, and he has moved on to round three of the championship in his pursuit. Before he moved on, he shared a tidbit from the time he met the superstar, who now plays for Inter Miami.
The Djoker said, “It’s a second time we met with each other. We talked 15 minutes about everything. I would like to meet him & talk about everything again. Messi is a phenomenon. He’s a huge champion. I have a huge respect for him.”
Novak Djokovic on Messi:
“It’s a second time we met with each other. We talked 15 minutes about everything, I would like to meet him & talk about everything again. Messi is a phenomenon. He's a huge champion, I have a huge respect for him.” @ESPNmx 📹🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/dxmrU7iIWG
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) August 30, 2023
Djokovic also shared a picture of his meetup with Messi on his Instagram page, where the two took a picture with big grins on both players’ faces. He also added the caption, “Crack! Great pleasure to see you and talk to you. As always, I wish good luck and health to you and your family“.
View this post on Instagram
This is not the only time he met Messi during an ongoing grand slam. But the previous meeting of the two greats had another aspect involved in it.
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When the Djoker met the Samba specialist
In Paris for the French Open, Novak Djokovic went to watch a match of their home club, Paris Saint-Germain. He saw Messi and his compatriot, Neymar Jr., walking down to play the match. He did not want to intercede, but the two soccer stars spotted him and made their way to talk to him. Before they parted, Neymar signed his daughter Tara’s jersey, as she is a fan of the player because of her friend.
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Tara’s friend impersonates Neymar’s samba celebration, seeing which, Tara became a fan as well. This incident highlights how the leading star of tennis at the moment, Djokovic, is pretty well-known in the soccer circuit as well.
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