Novak Djokovic amazes US Open crowd with Kobe Bryant tribute moments after win
Novak Djokovic paid a touching tribute to his late good friend Kobe Bryant after winning a historic 24th Grand Slam title on the US Open. The Serb donned a t-shirt that stated ‘Mamba Forever’ with a photograph of the pair on the entrance, and a quantity 24 – Bryant’s jersey quantity – on the again.
Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 to seize his fourth trophy in Flushing Meadows and – extra considerably – his twenty fourth Grand Slam title. The 36-year-old now stands alone as the one participant within the Open Era to win that many Major titles and ties Margaret Court’s all-time file.
The Serb has usually marked his milestones with a particular piece of clothes – donning a 23 jacket when he broke the boys’s Grand Slam file in Paris earlier this 12 months. And this time round, his selection of outfit had further that means as he paid tribute to late basketball icon Kobe Bryant.
There had been big cheers from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd when Djokovic took the particular shirt out of the wrapper and put it on, pointing to the picture of himself and Bryant alongside the entrance. And the applause saved on coming when he spun round, pointing to the quantity 24 on his again.
During his trophy speech, Djokovic defined why he needed to make use of the event to recollect the reminiscence of his good friend. “I thought of doing this t-shirt eventually if I get a chance to win the tournament, it was about seven days ago,” he stated.
“I didn’t share it with anyone until a few days ago when I asked my people to help me out to make this shirt.” Opening up on their bond, he continued: “Kobe was a close friend, we chatted a lot about the winners’ mentality. When I was struggling with an injury and trying to make my comeback, work my way back to the top of the game, he was one of the people that I relied on the most. He was always there for any kind of counsel, advice, any kind of support in the most friendly way.”
Touching on Bryant’s passing and his legacy, Djokovic added: “So in fact what occurred a couple of years in the past, him and his daughter passing, harm me deeply.