Marion Bartoli's husband hails Novak Djokovic as the GOAT & Muhammad Ali as 'The Greatest' while exploring Miami
Marion Bartoli's husband, footballer Yahya Boumediene, has revealed his two greatest sporting idols, Novak Djokovic and Muhammad Ali. Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, is a prominent figure still on the WTA tour as a broadcaster and commentator, and can often be seen conducting post-match on-court interviews at many big tournaments.
Bartoli played professionally for 13 years and amassed eight career WTA singles titles. She once ranked as high as No. 7 in the world in 2013, the year of her Wimbledon triumph. She has the distinction of being one of only six players in the Open Era to win the famous trophy without losing a set.
Boumediene, her Belgian-Moroccan soccer star husband, was touring Miami when he chanced across a mural on South Beach of iconic boxer Muhammad Ali. Inspired by the Ali artwork, he posted an image of it on his Instagram stories, captioned:
"The Greatest"
Having recognized Ali as "The Greatest", Boumediene then posted a still from Novak Djokovic's Miami Open victory over Lorenzo Musetti, which gave the Serbian a quarterfinal berth in the tournament. Boumediene captioned that image with a goat emoji, the universal sign, for the "Greatest Of All Time". He followed that with a series of pictures of Miami's landmarks.
Bartoli and Boumediene were married in 2019. Their daughter Kamilya was born a year later. The couple travels together on Tour now that Boumediene, 34, has retired from professional football.
Muhammad Ali and Novak Djokovic are legends of their respective sports and beyond
Yahya Boumediene's instincts are spot-on. Muhammad Ali and Novak Djokovic have transcended their respective sports and become public figures in their own right. Djokovic has rewritten tennis's history books: an unrivalled 24 Major singles titles over a 22-year career on the ATP tour, with a record 428 weeks at No. 1 in the world. He continues to play at the top of the game at age 37.
Muhammad Ali's charisma outside the ring was as attractive as his skills between the ropes. His connection to Miami is well-established.
Ali trained out of Angelo Dundee's famous Fifth Street Gym in Miami as a young professional. He went on to be the first heavyweight to win the world title three times, and when he proclaimed that he was "the greatest of all time," few argued with him.