![Novak Djokovic decides to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant minutes after winning the US Open [Video]](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Novak-Djokovic-decides-to-pay-tribute-to-Kobe-Bryant-minutes-1600x1067.jpg "Novak Djokovic decides to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant minutes after winning the US Open [Video] | The USA Print 13")
![Novak Djokovic decides to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant minutes after winning the US Open [Video] | The USA Print](https://i0.wp.com/eldiariony.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/GettyImages-1673031452.jpg?w=1170&ssl=1 "Novak Djokovic decides to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant minutes after winning the US Open [Video] | The USA Print 14")
The Serbian Novak Djokovic, who this Sunday was crowned at the US Open to win his 24th Grand Slam title, decided to pay a heartfelt tribute to his deceased friend Kobe Bryant moments after raising the trophy.
Minutes after he greeted his rival Daniil Medvedev and went on to celebrate the title with which he equaled Margaret Court’s historical record, as the top Grand Slam winners in the history of tennis, Djokovic decided to take off his shirt and replace it with one that referenced Bryant.
In the design of the shirt, Kobe Bryant appeared next to the tennis player, with a series of details made up of the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers, the team where the Black Mamba played all his seasons as an active NBA player.
As if that were not enough, the shirt had the inscription “Mamba Forever”, a phrase that became popular after the athlete died in a traffic accident on January 26, 2020 in California, and on the shirt number one of his two shirt numbers. race, the 24th.
“Kobe was a close friend. We talked a lot about the winning mentality, when he was having problems with injuries and trying to return to the tennis elite. He was one of the people he trusted the most. He was always there to give advice, for any type of support in the friendliest way…”, he developed.
Djokovic also commented that the death of Kobe and his daughter Gigi hurt him “deeply” and affected him because of the closeness he had with him.
“I thought that number 24 was the shirt number he wore when he became a Lakers and basketball legend, so I thought it could be a nice and symbolic thing to recognize him for all the things he did,” he concluded.
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