"Him and his daughter passing hurt me deeply" - Novak Djokovic on why he decided to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant after historic 24th Slam at US Open
Novak Djokovic paid tribute to Kobe Bryant after his record-breaking 24th Grand Slam triumph at the 2023 US Open, wearing a customized t-shirt in honor of the late NBA legend.
On Sunday, Djokovic took out Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in front of a boisterous Arthur Ashe crowd, winning his third Slam title of the season and his fourth at Flushing Meadows in the process. Moments after the victory, the 23-time Grand Slam champion changed into a customized t-shirt with the words 'Mamba forever' the number '24' printed on it -- both in honor of Bryant.
Addressing his decision to pay tribute in such touching fashion on the occasion of his biggest triumph, Novak Djokovic revealed that he had come up with the plan to make the tee just a few days ago. The 36-year-old hailed Bryant as a "close friend," adding that he and the American had a lot of discussions about the "winners' mentality" back in the day and that Bryant was one of the few people he relied on.
“Mamba, yeah… I thought of doing this t-shirt eventually if I get a chance to win the tournament, it was about seven days ago. I didn't share it with anyone upto few days ago when I asked my people to help me out to make these shirts."
"Kobe was close friend, we chatted a lot about the winners' 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 that I relied on the most," Novak Djokovic said at the presentation ceremony.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion then admitted that the passing of Bryant and his daughter Gianna (in a helicopter crash that happened back in January 2020) hurt him deeply. Djokovic, therefore, had always wanted to pay some kind of tribute to the former LA Lakers star if he ever got the opportunity, which he finally did in New York this weekend.
"He was always there for any kind of counsel advice, any kind of support in the most friendly way. So of course what happened a few years ago and him and his daughter passing hurt me deeply. And I thought, you know, 24 is the jersey that he wore when he became a legend of Lakers and world basketball. So I thought, you know, it could be a nice symbolic thing to acknowledge him," Novak Djokovic said.
"I never imagined that I would be here standing with you and talking about 24 Slams" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic spoke about the enormity of his own achievements at the presentation ceremony, admitting that he had never imagined that he would one day win 24 Grand Slams.
At the same time, the World No. 1 felt the possibility that he could achieve the feat in the last few years and decided to grab the opportunity with both hands.
"It's hard to describe the words. I had the childhood dream when I was seven or eight, I wanted to become the best player in the world and win Wimbledon trophy. That was the only thing I wanted,” Djokovic said.
“But then when I realized that, you know, obviously I started to dream new dreams and set new objectives, new goals. I never imagined that I would be here standing with you and talking about 24 Slams. I never thought that would be the reality. But, you know, last couple of years, I felt I have a chance, I have a shot at history and why not grab it if it's presented," he added.