Serbia’s legendary tennis star
Novak Djokovic has opened up
about his relationship with his young daughter.
The 36-year-old secured a memorable victory in the
US Open
2023 after defeating the world number three Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the
final with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
Right after securing the win, Djokovic went on to hug his
six-year-old daughter and burst into tears.
Those visuals were not common for the tennis world as the Belgrade-born
remained extremely composed while celebrating his big wins over the years.
Talking about it, Djokovic revealed that watching her daughter
sitting in the stands gave him extra motivation to win the title.
“I was watching her the entire match,” he said. “She was
sitting in the front row; she was facing me when I was sitting on the bench,
and we laughed at each other several times. She showed me the fist pump.
“She is only six years old, and in exactly the moments when
I needed to have this playfulness and this joy and to relax a little bit in
high stress – particularly in the second set – she looked at me and she gave me
this energy.
“That is why I went to her first – of course because she is
my daughter, but she also helped me the most in this match. I love her so much,
and to have her, my wife, my son [Stefan] and my parents – I felt everyone's
support and love. This is their trophy as well.”
The title was Djokovic’s fourth US Open title and 24th
Grand Slam in his illustrious career, thus extending his lead at the very top
over closest rival Spain’s Rafael Nadal.
With the victory, the current world number one ended 2023 on
a high note and after winning three out of the four Grand Slams.
His only defeat in a
big event came in the final of Wimbledon against Spain’s young tennis star
Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6,
6–4.