Novak Djokovic's 'little angel': How Serb's daughter Tara stole the show in US Open 2023 final
Novak Djokovic made history on Sunday, becoming the first player in the Open Era to win 24 Grand Slam titles. Taking on Daniil Medvedev in the final of the 2023 US Open, the Serb won in straight sets to win his third Slam of the year and fourth trophy at Flushing Meadows overall.
The triumph made him the oldest man to win the title at the US Open and also pulled him level with Margaret Court for most Majors won in tennis history. Behind the duo is Serena Williams with 23, followed by Steffi Graf and Rafael Nadal with 22 each to their name.
It was a rather subdued celebration from Novak Djokovic after match point, as conceded by the World No. 1 himself later at the press conference. What he felt most was "relief" that he managed to make it against the Russian on the night.
However, the 36-year-old rushed over immediately to his daughter Tara, who was seated in the front rows, to hug her in jubiliation, creating a moment that has made tennis fans and players alike swoon over in joy.
Addressing the moment, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said:
"The next thing I wanted is to hug my daughter, because she was there sitting in the front row. I didn't know that she's gonna be seated there. We had way too many people for too little seats in the player box (smiling)."
"Yeah, my wife was taking care of that with my team. I didn't know who was going to sit where. Then when I got to the court, I saw her. She was facing me when I was sitting on the bench. And she smiled at me."
Novak Djokovic even went as far as to credit Tara for giving him "energy" when he needed it, either with her smile or a little fist pump in her father's direction.
"Every single time I needed, I guess that kind of innocent child energy, I got it from her. You know, when I was going through the very stressful moments, particularly in the second set when I needed a little bit of a push, of a strength, of, yeah, just lightness, I guess, she gave me a smile, a fist pump. She was into it," Novak Djokovic said.
He later took to Instagram to reiterate the sentiment, calling her his "little angel" for helping him during the final in New York.
The Serb further added that it was nice to have both his son, Stefan, and Tara in attendance at such an important occasion of his life, as he had always wished to have his children by his side when he won a Slam, especially after they were old enough to understand what was going on.
"You know, it's so funny to see that and so interesting to see that she's six years old, my son is nine, and they were both there. They're both aware of what's happening. When I became a father that was one of my wishes, that I would live the day to experience winning a slam in front of them and they realize what's going on, that they are old enough to understand what's going on," Novak Djokovic said.
"Yeah, I'm just super blessed that that was the case twice this year in front of them, in Paris and also here," he added.
"The odds were pretty much against me and my family, but, you know, we did it" - Novak Djokovic
Speaking at his press conference, Novak Djokovic also extended his thanks to his parents for all that they have sacrificed for him over the years, recalling how the "odds were stacked" against them from the get go.
Coming from a war-torn country like Serbia, the World No. 1 had never imagined that he would one day end up winning 24 Grand Slam titles, an achievement for which his parents' support was central.
"The odds were pretty much against me and my family, but, you know, we did it. I say "we," because I owe a lot to my family, to my parents who sacrificed so much for me to be here. And that's not a cliché. I really mean it," Novak Djokovic said.
"It was extremely, extremely difficult with lots of adversities that they had to face and atrocities that when you think about it, you know, the last thing you want to think about is supporting maybe your child in expensive sport," he added.