Novak Djokovic lifted his 24th Grand Slam title by winning the US Open title. Soon after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final, Djokovic paid a special tribute to Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who was his mentor, in front of the American crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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Djokovic sailed past Medvedev with a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 victory to lift his career’s fourth US Open title. Soon after the win, he wore a special shirt as a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant. The shirt had the words “Mamba Forever” emblazoned on the chest. It also had a photo of both Djokovic and Bryant printed on it.
Meanwhile at the back there were the numbers 24 imprinted on it. 24 was the jersey number of Kobe Bryant when he was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. It coincided with Djokovic’s 24th Grand Slam win.
“I thought of doing this t-shirt eventually, if I get the chance to win the tournament, about seven days ago,” said Djokovic during his post-match speech. “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.”
Novak Djokovic and Bryant a very personal relationship. The Serbian looked up to the American as a mentor. When he was going through a rough patch few years back, he seeked Bryant’s inputs. It eventually helped him get his career back on track. Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in 2020.
“Kobe was a close friend, we chatted a lot about the winner’s mentality. When I was struggling with injury and trying to make my comeback, work my way back to the top of the game, he was one of the people I relied on the most. He was always there for any kind of council, advice, any kind of support in the most friendly way,” added Djokovic of Bryant.
Djokovic meanwhile became the first player to win three Grand Slam tournaments in a season for the fourth time. He will officially return to the World No.1 spot in the ATP Rankings on Monday.
