2023-12-28 15:48:53
By TJ
Published 13 minutes ago, Updated now
Novak Djokovic and Teddy Riner in Bercy. Federico Pestellini / Federico Pestellini / Panoramic
Legend of his sport, the Serbian admits to being inspired by other great champions like Teddy Riner and Kobe Bryant.
Pour “be better, and better, and better” as he confided to L’Équipe newspaper, Novak Djokovic finds certain sources of inspiration elsewhere than in tennis. Elected “World Champion of Champions” of the year 2023 by the sports daily this Thursday, the Serbian spoke about his relationships with other major players in sport. Starting with the giant of judo, Teddy Riner.
“He gave me the trophy at Bercy (last November 5, Editor’s note). We have been in contact since the Rio Games. He was always supportive, declared the world number one. I have always been impressed by his career. Her size. His weight ? No, we’re not talking about nutrition (laughs). He’s doing pretty well! It has to be built like that. I couldn’t perform well in his sport.” Living in the Principality of Monaco, “Djoko” also confided having encountered the coach of the French football team on several occasions: “There is Didier Deschamps too. I met him quite a bit in Monaco, we had some nice discussions, he even attended a few training sessions.
“A very strong relationship” with Kobe Bryant
In addition to Riner and Deschamps, the recent winner of the Masters has a deep admiration for Kobe Bryant, who died tragically in a helicopter accident on January 26, 2020. During his 24th Grand Slam victory, last September 10 at the US Open facing to Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic paid tribute to the former Los Angeles Lakers basketball player, by donning a “Mamba Forever” flocked t-shirt with the number 24.
“I knew Kobe since 2011-2012. He always helped me, especially when I needed it the most. After my operation, I was back down beyond the Top 20. Mentally, I was not well. I even considered leaving tennis for a whilehe told the Team. I spoke to him many times over the course of several months. He encouraged me, shared his experience, gave advice.»
Without Bryant, the legend of the yellow ball might not have won as much, according to his own words: “He also asked me questions. It was like a psychology session. Like: ‘When you come off the court, how do you feel about the times when you were at your best?’ We asked the question and, afterward, we went into detail, to understand the mental aspect, to the point of mentioning all the daily routines. It was really a very strong relationship. This is why I paid tribute to him in New York. 24 was one of its two historic numbers with 8.”
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