‘Honored to Play in the Same Era’: Novak Djokovic Offers Consolatory Message to Serena Williams

Serena Williams bid an emotional farewell to the Australian Open 2021 after losing to Naomi Osaka in the semi-finals. Serena leaving the stadium to a standing ovation instantly became one of the most memorable moments from this year’s event.

There are a lot of people who are giving their flowers to the 23-time Grand Slam champion, and Novak Djokovic is one of them. Djokovic reacted to Serena Williams’ loss during his post-match press conference, where he beat Aslan Karatsev in the semi-final.

Novak Djokovic delivers heartwarming message to Serena Williams 

The Serbian didn’t have much to comment but understood how the 39-year-old would feel about the loss after making a dominant run throughout the tournament. 

“I can empathize with Serena and what she is going through. Regardless of everything you achieved, you are pissed off and frustrated after losing a big match.”

“She is one of the greatest athletes ever and I am honoured to play in the same era as her,” Djokovic expressed. 

It is wonderful to see Novak Djokovic empathizing with Serena Williams at this point in her career. Williams enjoyed the tournament but is purely dejected to be crashing out without getting a shot at winning a record-tying 24th Majors title. 

“I’m sure she’s disappointed. But I think when you see a large picture for her and everything that who she is, what she stands for on and off the court, it’s — she’s one of the greatest ever. There is no doubt, athletes, not just tennis player,” Djokovic added.

Serena teared up in her post-match interview

Serena Williams did not enjoy her post-match presser one bit. She received questions that triggered her emotions, which eventually made her shed tears in front of the media.

Not the ideal way Williams would’ve wanted to do it, but she had to conclude the presser midway. A teary-eyed Serena Williams choked while responding to a question about the match and couldn’t hold back her tears rolling down on her face. The American decided to walk off, which triggered the emotions of her fans too. 

All the attention shifted towards Williams’ retirement after her loss. Was this her last appearance at the Australian Open? There’s so much going on, but Naomi Osaka wants her idol to keep playing forever. 

Serena Williams just won’t retire from the sport without achieving her ultimate goal. She’s in deep pursuit of winning Slam #24, and it might happen this year.

The Australian Open loss will only motivate Serena to work harder and dig deep for the elusive Majors title! 

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