"What a company" - Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena reacts to his Laureus nomination, pays tribute to fellow contenders
Novak Djokovic's wife, Jelena Djokovic, has expressed her delight at yet another Laureus nomination for the tennis star.
Nominated in the Sportsman of the Year category this year, Djokovic has already won the award four times in the past. He won it first in 2012, then twice consecutively in 2015 and 2016, and once more in 2019.
Currently sitting second in the list of most Laureus Sportsman of the Year awards, Djokovic is one shy of Roger Federer, who has five. Federer has six Laureus in total, having won one Comeback of the Year too.
Shortly after the announcement on Monday (February 26), Jelena Djokovic took to her social media account to react to the news.
"Wooooooo," Jelena Djokovic wrote on Instagram.
Along with a post congratulating her husband, she also paid tribute to his competition: football legend Lionel Messi, up-and-coming star Erling Haaland, world record holder pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, world champion sprinter Noah Lyles, and Formula One star Max Verstappen.
"What a company 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙏🏻," she further wrote.
Earlier in the day, Djokovic also took to social media to react to the news. After saying he was 'honored' to have been nominated for a sixth time in total, Djokovic too paid tribute to his fellow nominees.
“It’s an honor to be nominated for @LaureusSport 2024 World Sportsman of the Year,” Djokovic wrote on X. “A special group to be a part of, congratulations to my fellow nominees @ErlingHaaland, @mondohoss600, @LylesNoah, @Max33Verstappen, #LeoMessi #Laureus24.”
Novak Djokovic had a stellar 2023 season
Novak Djokovic's 2023 season was great in every sense of the word. He captured his historic 23rd and 24th Grand Slam titles during the year, and secured the year-end World No. 1 ranking for a record-extending eighth time.
Djokovic began the season by lifting the 2023 Adelaide International trophy, the 92nd title of his career. He then saw off Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals of the Australian Open to claim a record-extending 10th title.
The Serb became the player (male or female) with the most weeks at No. 1 in February, as he overtook Steffi Graff's record of 377 weeks.
After a poor run at the start of the clay court season, Djokovic defied critics by lifting the title in Paris, beating Casper Ruud in the final. The win, his 23rd Grand Slam title, meant that he had the most Slam titles by any male in the history of the sport. He also became the first man to achieve the triple Career Grand Slam.
Despite a disappointing loss in the final of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships to Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic beat him in a rematch to clinch the Cincinnati Masters. He continued his dominance at the US Open, beating Daniil Medvedev in the final. With that win, he equaled Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
Novak Djokovic concluded the season with wins at the Paris Masters and a record seventh ATP Finals trophy.