Novak Djokovic’s fourth-round victory at the U.S. Open on Sunday wasn’t the first time this season that he’s performed well under the gaze of NFL greats.
The Serbians defeated Bonagocho 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 in the stands at Flushing Meadows, with NFL legend Aaron Rodgers in attendance. The New York Jets quarterback follows in the footsteps of his frontcourt rival Tom Brady, who sat in Djokovic’s player box in June as he helped the Serbian charge toward a record-setting No. 23 Grand Slam titles.
“It’s great that Aaron can be in the stands watching tonight,” Djokovic said at his post-match press conference in New York. “I hope he has a great time. Obviously it’s a huge honor to have Tom Brady in my box at the French Open final and sitting next to my wife. I’ve had a relationship with Tom for several years. Let’s go back . “I have a lot of respect for him. ”
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Rogers and Brady are the latest in a long line of high-profile athletes from other sports who have watched or met ATP Tour great Djokovic over the years. His friends in other sports include Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic and two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
“Without a doubt, Zlatan is my favorite football player,” Djokovic said. “It’s fair to say that his Balkan mentality is very familiar to me, even though it may seem strange to the rest of the world. I know him very, very well and have known him for 15 years.
“Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in the world right now. Incredible guy. Everyone is amazed by his skills and what he does on the basketball court. I’m not a basketball expert so I can’t say too much Talk about his game, but I’m a huge fan of his.
“Obviously, it doesn’t happen very often that a Serbian basketball player from Serbia dominates the NBA. I don’t think anything like this has ever happened in the history of Serbian basketball: We have the best basketball player in the NBA. It’s awesome. ” We all love him and support him. ”
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Novak Djokovic at the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals. Image source: FIT
Djokovic believes that a unique mentality unites many of the elite athletes he comes into contact with. Even after achieving so much during his groundbreaking ATP Tour career, the 36-year-old is still looking for lessons from other sports superstars.
“I try to maintain and cultivate relationships with athletes in different sports because, of course, as an athlete I have a connection with them,” Djokovic said. “I identify with what they are doing and I understand their pain, sacrifice and dedication.
“I respect great people, especially those who have reached the highest level ever in their respective sports. Those are the people you want to be around. “You want to learn from them because you never know , some things can be so inspiring, like my relationship with Tom. ”
Djokovic probably won’t count on much support from fellow Americans Rodgers and Brady in the quarter-finals in New York – where the second seed will face American No. 1 Tyler Fur Ritz. With Frances Tiafoe or Ben Shelton waiting to beat Fritz in the semi-finals, Djokovic is ready to spoil the occasion as US fans hope for the first time since Andy 2003 Win the first home championship at Flushing Meadows since Andy Roddick.
“I think Taylor Fritz is going to get a lot more support in our next match,” Djokovic said. “Obviously, if I end up winning, I’ll be playing Shelton or Tiafoe in the semifinals. That’s expected. We’re playing in the United States against homegrown players. Honestly, I’d be surprised if that wasn’t the case. So I Knowing what I’m expecting helps me mentally prepare myself.
“It’s only going to get tougher from now on. It’s the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. I think for a country as big as the United States in tennis to have three tennis players in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam The final is important. It’s important for this tournament. It’s one of the four majors and one of the four most important tournaments in the history of our sport.”