Novak Djokovic and Jose Mourinho share wholesome moment after the Serb's Italian Open 2R win
Novak Djokovic battled his way into the third round of the 2023 Italian Open on Friday (May 12), defeating Argentine Tomas Etcheverry 7-6(5), 6-2, in a surprisingly close match.
The World No.1, who is a six-time champion in Rome, was forced to work for his victory by the 61st-ranked Argentine and prevailed in one hour and 51 minutes. He thus set up a third-round match with Grigor Dimitrov, who earlier defeated Stan Wawrinka.
Djokovic did have some celebrity support throughout the match, as AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho paid a visit to the Foro Italico to watch the top seed's first match.
Following his team's victory in the first leg of their Europa League semifinal on Thursday night, Mourinho was enjoying a night off. It's also not the first time the renowned football manager has attended one of the 22-time Grand Slam champion's matches.
Jose Mourinho watching Novak Djokovic in Rome this evening 👀 https://t.co/thH8I388ul
After the match, the pair were seen having a meaningful conversation with big smiles on their faces. The Serbian legend even gave an autograph on the Portuguese manager's cap.
"I'm really honored that Jose Mourinho is coming to watch my matches" - Novak Djokovic
Following his win over Tomas Etcheverry, Novak Djokovic attended a press conference and recalled the times when Jose Mourinho had come to see him play, saying:
"Yeah, 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 then stated that he is honored to have Mourinho attend his matches and that he hopes to repay the favor by watching the 60-year-old's team play.
"He's 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. Very, very nice person. Always was very kind to me and my team," Djokovic said.
"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. Yeah, just the special one, as they call him, came to see me, so I'm very happy," he added.