$240,000,000 worth tennis star once served Rory McIlroy and other Ryder Cup stars in disguise
Europe's Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, revealed that tennis superstar Novak Djokovic once served Rory McIlroy and the rest of the team at last year's event.
Team Europe had a brilliant run at Marco Simone Golf Club last year, posting a 16.5-11.5 win over Team USA to claim the event for the 12th time in history. However, before the tournament started, captain Donald organized a dinner where the interesting incident took place.
During the pre-event dinner, all the players and their families were enjoying their meal when Novak Djokovic arrived in a wig and fat suit and started serving them. According to Donald, it took the players a few minutes to recognize the $240 million star.
"There were a good few minutes there where the guys had no idea who he was," he said, as per Daily Mail. "He was wearing a wig and a padded suit under the uniform and had decided to sneak himself in.
"The players had known he was coming in to speak at some point during the week, but the disguise was all his idea, so he was pushing this trolley around and serving drinks to a few of the wives. I think it was Ludvig Aberg’s partner who was first to do a double-take. It was pretty fun," he added.
How did Novak Djokovic perform at the Ryder Cup Celebrity All-Star Match 2023?
Last year, before pulling a little prank on the European Ryder Cup squad, Djokovic played an exhibition All-Star Match at Marco Simone Golf Club. He was part of Team Colin Montgomerie, which also featured Kipp Popert and Gareth Bale.
Djokovic was paired with Popert and faced F1 driver Carlos Sainz and Italian G4D golfer Tommaso Perrino from Team Corey Pavin. The highlight of the match was the 23-time Grand Slam champion's shot on the par-4 16th, where he drove the green from an advanced tee, receiving huge cheers from the fans.
"This is sporting greatness," Djokovic was quoted as saying via Reuters. "I was going to play safe but the crowd made me do it. "It was one of the best shots I've ever hit."
The duo eventually posted a 3-1 win over Sainz and Perrino. Overall, Team Monty successfully secured a 7-4 victory over Team Pavin.