"I felt touched by God" - Novak Djokovic's former coach Marian Vajda recalls Diego Maradona's prediction that Serb would become World No. 1
Not many would have predicted Novak Djokovic's rise to the World No. 1 spot before he actually did, especially not when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were dominating the tour. But soccer legend Diego Maradona always knew it would happen.
Djokovic's former coach, Marian Vajda, recently reminisced about a special interaction with Maradona, who told Vajda that he was coaching a future No. 1.
Vajda, who met the late Argentine on a few occasions, called this particular conversation with Maradona his 'best memory' of him. The Slovak even claimed it gave him a feeling of being "touched by God."
Vajda, who is a soccer fan and holds Maradona in great regard, revealed that the World Cup winner predicted Djokovic's rise to the top of the rankings back in 2008. Djokovic became world No. 1 for the first time three years later, in July 2011.
"I saw him (Diego Maradona) in Abu Dhabi while I was training Novak, we had a nice day and he told me 'coach, you are going to train the No. 1 in the world'," Vajda told Ole in a recent interview.
"It was in 2008, when Nole was not yet No. 1. And it was a privilege, because I felt touched by God, it was incredible. That is my best memory of him."
Vajda was also deeply affected when he heard the news of Maradona's death, back in November 2020.
"I don't usually upload much content to my Instagram, but when he died I decided to post him," Vajda expressed.
Now 22-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic also paid tribute to Maradona when he passed away, sharing a picture of the two of them together.
#maradona
Rest in paradise legend ❤️ #maradona https://t.co/5QPMgKsMXe
When Novak Djokovic was honored to have Diego Maradona in the stands during his ATP Finals match
Back at the 2010 ATP Finals in London, Novak Djokovic had a special guest in the stands during his opening round-robin match against Tomas Berdych. After winning the match Djokovic expressed his excitement at seeing the soccer legend support him, calling it 'a great honor.'
The Serb even made a cheeky reference to Maradona's famous 'hand of God' moment during the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals between Argentina and England.
"Thanks for coming. It’s a great honor having you around," Djokovic said to Maradona in his post-match on-court interview.
"When he came in during the middle of the first set, I wondered whether I should play with my legs or my hands," he added with a laugh.
Djokovic, his coach Vajda and their fellow team members later met with Maradona backstage and posed for pictures with the all-time great.