Men’s tennis player Novak Djokovic paid tribute to late basketball star Kobe Bryant after winning his 24th Grand Slam title on Monday.
After beating Daniil Medvedev with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in the 2023 US Open final, Djokovic wore a t-shirt that read “Mamba Forever” when presenting the trophy.
The t-shirts feature Djokovic and basketball player Bryant, known as “Mamba”.
On the back is the number 24, the number worn by the Los Angeles Lakers legend during his NBA career.
“I thought about making this t-shirt a few days ago. I didn’t share it with anyone. Kobe is a close friend of mine, we chat a lot, about the winning mentality,” said Djokovic, quoted by AFP.
Djokovic stated that Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash three years ago, had helped him through the most difficult times in his career, especially a career-threatening elbow injury in 2017.
“When I was battling injuries and trying to get back to the top, he was one of the people I relied on the most, he was always there to provide support in the kindest and warmest way,” said Djokovic
“His passing really hurts me and number 24 was the number he wore at the Lakers, so I thought it would be nice to pay tribute to him,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Medvedev praised Djokovic, who has won 24 Grand Slams in his career, saying he was an athlete with great character.
“When we first played, I was probably ranked 500th in the world. And he was very nice to me. Nothing special, but he treated me like a normal person. And he still does. Nothing has changed,” said Medvedev.
“And I think that’s something great about a person that you can say,” added Mevedev,
Apart from that, Medvedev also said that beating Djokovic in the 2021 US Open final was the biggest achievement in Medvedev’s career to date.
“In one sense I can say, and I really think it’s incredible, that I beat Novak in a Grand Slam final, which is probably the highlight of my career at the moment,” he said.
“But you know, (Djokovic) pushed me to be better,” he concluded.
