Novak Djokovic thanks Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Tom Brady and other sports stars in French Open victory speech
Novak Djokovic won a record 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 French Open by defeating Casper Ruud 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 in the final on Sunday.
The Serb had a rocky start to the match but he didn't take too long to find his rhythm and win the clay-court Major for the third time in his career.
A number of sportspeople were in attendance for the French Open men's singles final. These included NFL legend Tom Brady and soccer stars Kylian Mbappe, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud, the latter two being part of AC Milan, the club Djokovic supports.
The Serb thanked each of them in his victory speech and said that it was an honor to see them present.
βLast but not least, I want to thank [the] football stars for being here. Giroud, Ibra, Mbappe, Tom Brady. I want to thank everybody for coming out and supporting. I hope you guys enjoyed. I'm sorry if I missed somebody but it's a great honor to have incredible football and sports stars," Djokovic said.
The 36-year-old also gave a separate shoutout to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Serbian, calling the Swede his friend, before thanking the crowd.
"Ibra, you and I already know each other, you are already my friend. Thank you for coming and see you next year," Djokovic said.
Djokovic ringrazia Giroud e Ibrahimovic per aver partecipato dopo essere stato incoronato campione del Roland Garros
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Novak Djokovic previously paid tribute to Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the Swedish striker announced his retirement from soccer.
βYou are the strongest, brother Ibra," Djokovic wrote on his Instagram stories.
Novak Djokovic will return to the top of the ATP rankings
Novak Djokovic's exploits at the French Open will see him return to the top of the ATP rankings.
The Serb had dropped to third after his quarterfinal exit at the Italian Open. He started the French Open with straight-set wins over Aleksandar Kovacevic (6-3, 6-2, 7-6(1)) and Marton Fucsovics (7-6(2), 6-0, 6-3).
He followed them up with triumphs over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-2) and Juan Pablo Varillas (6-3, 6-2, 6-2) to set up a quarterfinal clash against Karen Khachanov.
The Serb came back from a set down to beat the Russian 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semifinals, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Djokovic's straight-sets win over Casper Ruud in the French Open final made him the first man and only the fourth player to win all the four Majors at least thrice in tennis history.
The Serb also reclaimed the World No. 1 spot from Carlos Alcaraz as a result of his victory.