Which Celebrities Are Top Of Djokovic’s ‘Still-To-Meet’ List?
Novak Djokovic’s first ATP Head2Head meeting against Frances Tiafoe proved a real test for the World No. 1, but he found a way through in four sets at the Australian Open on Wednesday to keep his hopes of a reunion with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup alive.
When the 17-time Grand Slam champion isn’t meeting rivals for the first time on the court, or holding ‘Norman’ above his head after a successful fortnight in Melbourne, Djokovic has been known to interact with his sporting heroes. The Serbian enjoyed a strong relationship with the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who he described as a ‘mentor’, and he has also spent time in the gym with football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo x Djokovic ?
This is some serious content ? ?
?: @Cristiano | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/yP63nW5roK
— ATP Tour (@atptour) December 27, 2019
As one of the greatest athletes of all time, Djokovic has had the opportunity to meet many famous faces from the world of sport. Following his win over Tiafoe on Rod Laver Arena, the eight-time Australian Open champion revealed the sports star at the top of his ‘still-to-meet’ list.
“Michael Jordan. I didn’t meet Michael,” said Djokovic. “Obviously I’m not the only one. He’s one of my childhood heroes, [one of the] people I was looking up to, [that is] probably [true for] most of this world. That [meeting] would be really nice. We have a lot of common friends.”
If Djokovic got the opportunity to meet the six-time NBA champion, he would like to go head-to-head with the basketball legend at a neutral sporting venue.
“I hear he loves golf,” said Djokovic. “Maybe I can catch him on some of the golf courses in the future.”
Djokovic’s celebrity meetings wish list is not limited to sports stars. The six-time year-end World No. 1 is also keen to meet actor and comedian Jim Carrey.
“Jim Carrey, I would love to meet [him],” said Djokovic. “He’s very interesting, [a] very interesting guy. His views of the world are very intriguing to me. I would love to have a chat with him about that.”
Djokovic will hope he is too busy to meet Jordan and Carrey over the next two weeks. The top seed will continue his bid for a ninth Australian Open crown on Friday, when he meets American Taylor Fritz for the third time (2-0).