‘I Heard From My Idol’ – Novak Djokovic Explains How Close Friend and NBA Legend Kobe Bryant Made Him Realize His Goals

Novak Djokovic has finally found a reason to smile this year. After a turbulent time in the early part of the 2022 season, the Serb produced a scintillating performance at the Wimbledon Championships 2022. He defeated Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in a thrilling summit clash to win the grass-court Grand Slam title.

In the process, Djokovic raced ahead of Roger Federer in the race for securing the most Grand Slam men’s singles titles. Moreover, he is just a major title away from equaling Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles. Recently, he revealed how his close friend and idol helped him realize his goals.

Novak Djokovic cites Kobe Bryant’s example

The 21-time Grand Slam champion returned to Belgrade following his victory at Wimbledon. He celebrated with his fans in his native country upon his arrival. During a victory speech there, he revealed how he was inspired by his idol, Kobe Bryant.

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Djokovic said, “Now, moving on, I was asked, what was my favorite title. They dictated statistics and Grand Slams won. I cited something that I heard from my idol, who is no longer with us, Kobe Bryant. My favorite title is the next one. Let’s go further, all the way to the medal, the gold one.”

During an interview, Djokovic revealed how he learned from stars like Kobe Bryant and Cristiano Ronaldo. Moreover, he even revealed that the former was a mentor to him and they had regular conversations.

Meanwhile, with his Wimbledon victory, Djokovic equaled Pete Sampras and William Renshaw’s haul of seven Wimbledon titles. Swiss maestro Roger Federer leads the pack with eight Wimbledon men’s titles.

Djokovic on his US Open participation

There is a shadow cast on the Serb’s US Open participation later this year. Talking about this, he said, “I’m not vaccinated and I’m not planning to get vaccinated so the only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card or whatever you call it to enter United States or exemption.” 

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If Djokovic does miss the US Open, it will further dent his ATP ranking.