Serbian Tennis Legend Novak Djokovic Lauds Luka Modric and Croatia on ‘Another Great Championship’ After FIFA WC Semi-Finals Loss

One of the main qualities that make a sport great is true sportsmanship. Yet, there have been few instances when big sporting personalities have terribly lacked sportsmanship.

However, Serbian tennis legend, Novak Djokovic does not lack that quality by far. Djokovic has shown his constant support for a few teams in the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar Even after a loss, there are no sights of hatred or disgruntlement from the Serbian’s side.

Novak Djokovic – The true sportsman

Argentina recently eliminated Croatia from the World Cup. Djokovic was one of the first known personalities to send out his gratitude to Croatia via his Instagram. In a story addressing Croatia’s defeat, Djokovic expressed, “Congratulations to these guys and the whole team on another great championship”. He also added a picture of Croatian Legend Luka Modric and Dejan Lovren hugging each other.

The Valtrenis were comprehensively beaten by an energetic Argentinian side. Despite reaching the Final of the previous World Cup campaign, this World Cup edition’s achievement will also be written in gold in the Croatian history books.

Being a Serbian, it is more than obvious which team Djokovic would support. The 35-year-old has been supporting the Serbian National Soccer team for quite a while. Back in 2021, when Serbia was playing Portugal in the World Cup qualifiers, Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović scored a match-defining goal in the dying moments of the game. Serbia ended up winning that game 2-1 and Djokovic went ecstatic on social media.

As the video surfaced, Djokovic was yelling “Idemo” which means ‘Let’s go’ at the top of his lungs.

While Croatia has a decent World Cup outing, Serbia never really got going. Serbia finished last in their group. They only managed to earn 1 point that came after a 3-3 draw against Cameroon. While it was a disappointing campaign for Serbia, Djokovic never let his spirits down.

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Before Serbia’s final game against Switzerland, Djokovic posted a story that said “Are you ready?” and he tagged his Swiss tennis opponents Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer. It was a friendly dig at the two Swiss internationals. However, such moments help keep up the integrity and competitiveness of the sport even if it’s a cross-sport debate.

Djokovic’s lifelong love for soccer

Djokovic’s love for soccer is no mystery. On multiple occasions, the Serb has admitted to liking the sport. He once quoted, “When I was a kid, I always wanted to play football. Of course, desire for tennis was stronger. So I started playing tennis. But I even — I always watched football games at home. Wherever I go, I follow football. This is one of my favorite sports”.

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Do you know any other sports stars who wanted to become soccer players but in the end didn’t? Let us know in the comments below.