“Come on, who cares?” - Novak Djokovic tells off 'sweaty' Nikola Jokic for hesitating to hug him after Denver Nuggets-LA Lakers game
Novak Djokovic was in attendance at the Denver Nuggets' clash against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, where he witnessed his compatriot Nikola Jokic lead the Nuggets to a 124-114 win to stretch their winning streak to six games in the NBA.
Djokovic and Jokic shared a warm embrace afterwards, with former NBA player and another Serbian basketball legend Vlade Divac also joining his countrymen on the occasion. The hug between Djokovic and Jokic immediately went viral on social media, shared by many prominent basketball and tennis-related accounts on Twitter and Instagram.
The pair conversed in Serbian during the clip, and it has now come to light what exactly they spoke that made the ATP No. 1 let out a chuckle before he embraced Jokic in a bear hug.
According to translation provided by fans, Nikola Jokic was initially hesitant to hug Djokovic, on account of his being "sweaty" after the game. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, however, was not bothered in the slightest about that, telling him off jokingly by saying:
"Come on, who cares"
"Novak Djokovic is the guy you can look up to, I want to be like him" - Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic has always looked up to Novak Djokovic, having commented in a previous interview that the Serb was someone he looked up to and that he wanted to be like him.
Jokic was particularly in awe of the World No. 1 for what he represented to children in Serbia and all the good work he was doing in the country through his foundation. The Nuggets star also made it clear that it was not right to put him and Djokovic in the same category now, as the 24-time Grand Slam champion was for more bigger than him in the global sporting scene.
"I don't have his number, to be honest, but he is the guy who represents Serbia in a much bigger scene. He is a Serbian ambassador. He’s really an idol to the kids in Serbia and not just on the court, but in the things his foundation is doing. He is the guy you can look up to, I want to be like him. He's doing something great for kids, for Serbia, for everything. We cannot be compared," Nikola Jokic said.
Meanwhile, Djokovic will start his Indian Wells campaign next week, his first tournament since the semifinal exit he faced at the Australian Open at the hands of eventual champion Jannik Sinner.