Tennis virtuoso Novak Djokovic was encouraged by the vociferous chants of a young boy on road to his 19th Grand Slam title at the French Open. The Serbian giant was kind enough to reward his little motivator with the winning racquet, the weapon of choice he’d just used to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
The ecstasy of the fan knew no bounds as Djokovic, having reigned supreme in his four-hour-11-minute battle on Sunday, walked up towards the front seats and handed over his prized possession. A video of the kid’s reaction, a cute mix of utter disbelief and euphoric joy, is winning hearts on social media.
In the post-match press meet, the champion athlete reasoned his gesture and said that it was a token of gratitude for the boy for supporting him throughout the match.
“This boy was in my ear the entire match. He was encouraging me. He was actually giving me tactics. He was like: ‘Hold your serve, get an easy first ball, then dictate, go to his backhand.’ He was coaching me literally”, Djokovic said.
While many congratulated the boy for this freak swing of luck, others praised Djokovic for his benevolent gesture.
Djokovic has added another feather to his cap with his victory over Tsitsipas, becoming the only male player to have won each of the four Grand Slams at least twice. He is also now one major championship away from tying with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (20 apiece) for the most men’s Grand Slam singles titles.
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