Novak Djokovic paid tribute to former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant on Sunday following his momentous win at the U.S. Open.
Djokovic became the first man to record 24 career grand slam singles titles and gave a nod to Bryant, whose No. 24 has been retired by the Lakers, by wearing a “Mamba Forever” T-shirt after his straight-set win over Daniil Medvedev.
“Kobe was a close friend, we chatted a lot about the winner’s mentality when I was struggling with injury and trying to make my comeback, work my way back to the top of the game,” Djokovic said after his match. “He was one of the people that I relied on the most.”
Djokovic, 36, said he came up with the idea about a week ago as a way to honor his friend.
He said he received advice on his own career from Bryant, who died in 2020 in a helicopter crash that also killed his daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
“He was always there for any kind of counsel, advice, any kind of support in the most friendly way,” Djokovic said. “So of course what happened a few years ago and him and his daughter passing hurt me deeply, and I thought 24 is the jersey he wore when he became a legend of the Lakers and world basketball, so I thought it could be a nice, symbolic thing to acknowledge him for all the things he’s done.”
Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, congratulated Djokovic after his win with an Instagram post.
“Congratulations @djokernole #24 #MambaMentality Real recognize Real,” Vanessa wrote in the caption of her post, which featured a clip of Djokovic talking about Bryant.
Djokovic, who also won the Australian Open and French Open this year, is tied with Margaret Court as the only tennis players with 24 grand slam singles titles.
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