WATCH: Novak Djokovic pays tribute to his late friend Kobe Bryant by wearing a ‘#24 Mamba Forever’ t-shirt after winning the US Open title

Djokovic brought out a special t-shirt with ‘Mamba Forever’ on the front and No. 24 on the back. 

WATCH: Novak Djokovic pays tribute to his late friend Kobe Bryant by wearing a ‘#24 Mamba Forever’ t-shirt after winning the US Open title

Novak Djokovic pays tribute to Kobe Bryant after his US Open title win (Images via @TheTennisLetter/X)

Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic did not forget to pay tribute to his biggest supporter in New York and late friend Kobe Bryant after he won his 24th Grand Slam title on Sunday at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

As Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 US Open Final to lift his fourth title at the Flushing Meadows, the 36-year-old quickly got rid of his match t-shirt and brought out a special t-shirt with ‘Mamba Forever’ on the front and No. 24 (Kobe Bryant’s jersey number) on the back. 

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The t-shirt also had a picture of Djokovic and Bryant together. Djokovic then showed it off on the camera as well during his on-court interview. The Serbian heaped praise on the late basketball player for his winner’s mentality and also revealed how he came up with the whole idea of this way of paying tribute to his good friend. 

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Novak Djokovic revealed that he came up with the idea of sporting this t-shirt a week ago and did not reveal his idea to anyone just 2-3 days back. The 36-year-old said that he shared a really good bond with Kobe Bryant and he thought that as Bryant became a legend wearing the #24 t-shirt, sporting it after winning his 24th Grand Slam title would be a befitting tribute to the basketball legend. 

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Novak Djokovic reveals what he learned from Kobe Bryant

Novak Djokovic Kobe Bryant
(L) Novak Djokovic with Kobe Bryant, (R) the Serbian wearing the #24 t-shirt after his US Open win (Images via X)

As Novak Djokovic came out for the on-court interview, the Serbian was asked about the ‘Mamba mentality’ and what he learned from Kobe Bryant. The Serbian first remembered the late basketball player and revealed how close the two were. The 36-year-old then talked about how Bryant reached out to him when the Serbian was trying to make a comeback after being sidelined due to injury.

“Kobe was a close friend. We chatted a lot about a winner’s mentality when I was struggling with injury, trying to make my comeback. He was 1 of the people I rely on the most.. he was always there for advice. What happened with him & his daughter passing hurt me deeply. 24 is the jersey he wore when he became a legend of basketball. It was a symbolic thing to acknowledge him for all the things he’s done,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview.

Notably, Djokovic and Bryant’s friendship goes a long way back. The two have openly expressed admiration for each other. While Djokovic calls Bryant his mentor, the late basketball player picked the Serbian ahead of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer ahead of the 2019 US Open. Ever since his demise in 2020, Djokovic has never let go of a chance to express his gratitude to the legendary player. The 36-year-old had also mentioned Bryant after his 2023 French Open title win.

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