‘MAMBA FOREVER’

Novak Djokovic Pays Tribute to Kobe Bryant After Record US Open Win

The Serbian tennis player was seen putting on a shirt dedicated to the late basketball star.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic paid tribute to his friend and fellow sporting legend Kobe Bryant after the Serbian star’s record-breaking win at the U.S. Open Sunday night. In a nod to Bryant, who wore the No. 24 during his NBA career, Djokovic was seen taking off his shirt and replacing it with another shirt that read “mamba forever,” alongside a photo of Djokovic and the late Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020. Djokovic smiled to the camera and pointed to the shirt, before kissing it and gesturing towards the sky. Djokovic beat Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium to notch his 24th Grand Slam singles title—breaking his tie with Serena Williams for the most tournament victories in the sport’s professional era. With the win, he also equaled Margaret Court’s Grand Slam record, exactly 50 years to the day the Australian tennis player won her 24th in 1973, according to Forbes. “Kobe was a close friend, we chatted a lot about the winner’s mentality,” Djokovic later explained. “He was one of the people I rely on the most, he was always there for any counsel or advice in the most friendly way. What happened to him hurt me deeply. I thought [the shirt] could be a nice, symbolic thing to acknowledge him.”

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Matt YoungNight Editor

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