Fresh from his record-breaking victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the Cincinnati Open, Novak Djokovic and football legend Lionel Messi caught up for a rendezvous in New York.
Argentinian World Cup winner Lionel Messi is currently playing for MLS club Miami after moving from the French club Paris Saint-Germain in a free transfer, whereas Novak Djokovic begins his quest for a fourth US Open title this August, where he will look to carry over his hard court form from Cincinnati to Flushing Meadows. There is a lot of hype surrounding the Serbian tennis player, as many legends of the sport have commented on his form and their desire to witness a showdown between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in New York.
Novak Djokovic and Lionel Messi spent time together in New York
The duo of sporting superstars met in a New York restaurant along with Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas. Mas was extremely thrilled with the meeting and shared a picture of the trio on social media platform X and wrote: “What a night” along with two goat emojis.
Image: Leo Messi with Novak Djokovic. pic.twitter.com/5lb6DWk3Hd
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) August 26, 2023
Novak Djokovic and Lionel Messi share a close bond, and the Serbian was among those in attendance as Paris Saint-Germain won their 11th Ligue 1 title in June. Novak was in France, competing in Roland Garros where he eventually triumphed over Norwegian Casper Ruud 7–6(7–1), 6–3, 7–5 in the men’s singles final for his world record 23rd grand slam title.
In an Instagram post, Novak Djokovic posted a picture of the two athletes and captioned it in Spanish, saying, “Crack! Great pleasure to see you and talk to you. As always, I wish good luck and health to you and your family.”
Social media erupted on seeing the pictures of the two together and was filled with GOAT shouts regarding two of the greatest players to take the field in their respective sports. While most reactions were positive, some Nadal and Federer fans were incensed with the usage of the term GOAT to refer to Djokovic. The debate over who the greatest is remains a never-ending controversy, but with Federer having retired and Nadal nearing the end of his career, Novak Djokovic has a chance to prolong his game and prove his mantle as the game’s greatest for the next few years.
Novak Djokovic to face Alexandre Muller in US Open 1st round match
The US Open begins on 28th August and the schedule and first-round draw were immediately drafted once the qualifiers finished.
Novak Djokovic is situated in the bottom half of the draw and is set to face Frenchman Alexandre Muller in the first round on 29th August. Muller, ranked no.76 in the world, most recently faced Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the Wimbledon championships where he was defeated 6-4,7-6(2),6-3. He will look to cause a major upset when he faces off against Djokovic, who is riding high on an immensely successful 2023 season where he has won the Australian Open, French Open, and Cincinnati Open.
Novak Djokovic raced to the top of the all-time earner’s list for 2023 after his victory over Alcaraz and closed the gap on the world no.1 in the ATP rankings. He is situated in the same quarter as seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who opens against Milas Raonic.
He faces a tough road to the finals, where he could possibly meet Alcaraz. He could potentially clash with world no.15 Felix Auger-Aliassime in round four. He will also face a tough challenge from Holger Rune in the semi-final round, who is seeded fourth.
His rival Carlos Alcaraz faces a much easier draw and begins his defense of the title against Dominik Koepfer.
Taking a much-needed break from tennis, Novak Djokovic has caused fans of both tennis and football to erupt in joy by seeing him meet football legend Lionel Messi. It is to be seen if he will take a break from his busy US Open schedule to witness an Inter Miami match. What do you think of Djokovic’s US Open draw? Is it tough, and will he show us his supreme talent and thwart any competition? Let us know in the comments section below.
