Novak Djokovic "honored" to see Jose Mourinho in attendance for his Italian Open 2R match
Novak Djokovic stated that he was honored to see Portugese football manager Jose Mourinho in attendance at the Foro Italico Sports Complex for the Serb's second-round match at the 2023 Italian Open.
Following a first round bye, Djokovic squared off against Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Friday (May 12) to commence his campaign in Rome. Despite a rough start, the World No. 1 prevailed 7-6(5), 6-2, to advance to the next round at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Djokovic was delighted to have pulled out a win in front of Mourinho, someone the Serb regards as "one of the greatest foootball coaches in history."
"He's [Mourinho] an avid tennis fan, of course one of the greatest football coaches that we have not just today but in history. I'm really honored that he's coming to watch my matches. I really appreciate that," he said during the post-match presser.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion also opened up about returning the favor in the future by watching Mourinho's current team, something that the Serb said he has done in the past during the Portugese's time coaching Real Madrid CF.
"Very, very nice person. Always was very kind to me and my team," he continued. "Yeah, hopefully I can return the favor and go watch his team when he's coaching because I don't think I've ever done that. Maybe Real Madrid, when he was in Madrid I went to watch couple times."
Novak Djokovic opens up about meeting Jose Mourinho during their time in London
Novak Djokovic shared that he has met Jose Mourinho on several occasions in the past. He stated that the Portugese manager attended his matches at the World Tour Finals while managing London-based club Tottenham Hotspur back in 2019.
"I met him more than few times in the past. He was coming to watch me play in London, especially in the World Tour Finals. We had a tournament there for many years. He was coaching in London. He was coming to watch," the Serb stated.
The Serbian has always been an avid football enthusiast. He was recently spotted at the San Siro (May 10) watching AC Milan take on Inter Milan in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final. He also posed alongside AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic before the match.
On the tennis front, Djokovic will next face Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the Italian Open on Sunday. This will be their 12th meeting on tour, with the Serb having a 10-1 lead in their head-to-head.