Novak Djokovic, missing in action at Shanghai Masters, attends EuroLeague basketball match with his father in Belgrade
Novak Djokovic is currently taking a brief break from tennis and enjoying other things in life. The Serbian legend was recently spotted in his hometown, Belgrade, watching a basketball match.
Djokovic attended a match of the 2023 EuroLeague, a European men's professional basketball club competition, between Crvena Zvezda of Belgrade, Serbia and Lyon-Villeurbanne of France.
The match was played at the Stark Arena in Belgrade on October 5. The home team easily trounced the visitors 94-73 to win their first league match of the season.
The World No. 1 waved to the crowd, who were cheering on their national star, and watched the match alongside his father, Srdjan. The pictures of the visit have gone viral on social media.
The Serbian ace has not played tennis since winning a match for his country at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals in mid-September in Valencia, Spain. He seems to enjoy a well-deserved break after winning a record 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Djokovic has won three out of the four Grand Slam tournaments this year. He lifted trophies at the Australian Open (defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final) and the French Open (bettering Casper Ruud) before the New York glory. He also reached the final at Wimbledon but lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serb recently withdrew from the ongoing Shanghai Masters in China, where he is a four-time champion. He is expected to return to action at the Rolex Paris Masters later this month. However, nothing has been confirmed yet.
Novak Djokovic played Ryder Cup celebrity all-star golf match alongside Gareth Bale
Novak Djokovic participated in an all-star match at the 2023 Ryder Cup on September 27. Soccer stars Gareth Bale and Andriy Shevchenko, Formula One driver Carlos Sainz, actress Kathryn Newton, and other celebrities were also featured in the exhibition event.
The Serb was overjoyed to play at such a prestigious event at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy, calling it an "honor" and a "once-in-a-lifetime experience."
The 36-year-old entertained the fans at the club with a few fake cuts before teeing off at the first hole. He and Kipp Popert, the World No. 1 in ranking for Golfers with Disability, played on the team captained by legendary Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie.
Djokovic later talked about his excitement at receiving the invitation to play in the exhibition tournament. He said:
"When I got an invite, I was like, 'Oh my God, I gotta accept this. I increased the amount of golf I played in the last six months, especially in the last 10 days. I was like, 'I gotta be prepared, I cannot embarrass myself, or even worse, I cannot hit somebody in the head!' ... It was such a thrill."