Despite Winning Record 23rd Grand Slam, Down to Earth Novak Djokovic Wins Over Fans With Heartwarming Gesture Towards F1 Star

It’s not every day that history is made. And last night, Novak Djokovic didn’t just make history; he rewrote it. 23 Grand Slam titles—a men’s record. 34 Grand Slam finals—a record. 38 Masters 1000 titles—a record. And 378 weeks as world no. 1—a record. And with the way he’s playing, no one is going to come close to rewriting what he’s laying done right now. While he was winning his 23rd Grand Slam at the Roland Garros final against Casper Ruud, Court Philippe-Chatrier was filled with sporting A-listers who had gathered to witness him make history.

From the NFL world, retired star quarterback Tom Brady was sitting in Djokovic’s box. From the soccer world, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe, and Olivier Giroud, among many others, made an appearance. And from the F1 world, Alpine boys, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly had front-row tickets to the show. 

After the match and his celebrations, the 23-time Grand Slam winner had a one-on-one with someone who looks up to him in more ways than one—Esteban Ocon. In a video posted by the official Roland Garros handle on Instagram, the two can be seen talking to each other, with a special appearance from Djokovic’s daughter. 

In the video, Ocon expressed what an honor it was to meet and watch Djokovic play. And when the Serbian asked him if he enjoyed the game, he said, “I did enjoy, man, massively. Honestly, you are such an inspiration for a lot of people. For me too.” 

This was especially heartwarming to watch because Ocon is a young athlete himself. And what Djokovic said in his post-match speech must’ve also rang true to him. The Serbian said, “If you want a better future, you create it. Take the means in your hands, believe it, and create it.” 

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Watching the two interact with each other made tennis and F1 fans alike praise Djokovic for the athlete and person he is.

“You are a role model and inspiration”: Fans express their appreciation toward Djokovic

The comments section of the video posted on Instagram by Roland Garros is flooded with fans appreciating Novak Djokovic—for his achievements, his game, and for the person he is. 

One user wrote: You are a role model and inspiration to all young people!!! The message you delivered was very powerful 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐”

A lot of them declared him the GOAT, which considering his numbers and achievements, he undoubtedly is. 

They said: –

“Inspiring and a goat 😍😍😍🐐”

“The Greatest player across all sports and across all space time complexity.👏🔥”

One simply wrote: “The Best!”

Novak Djokovic is known for his fighting spirit, tenacity, and resilience. Users summed up his qualities really nicely: –

“Bravo Nole you are a real Champion and an example of tenacity, dedicación. You are the best!!”

“A perfect Sunday to enjoy watching history. Novak Djokovic is a first class tennis player, and now you can say he’s one of the best to ever play the game. Very classy, humble and perfect ambassador for encouraging new young players.”

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Novak Djokovic will go down as one of the greatest athletes to grace the tennis courts. And if it were up to him, he would never retire. Watching him get stronger, fitter and grittier with each passing tournament is just a testament to his greatness. Who’s to say he won’t make it to 30 Grand Slam titles in the next couple of years?