And the Serbian champ was seemingly aware of the moment’s magnitude as he broke down in tears after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
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Djokovic swept Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the final, avenging his US Open final loss from 2021.
After the final point, the Serbian threw his rocket away and fell to the ground before he started sobbing on the court.
After wiping his tears off, the tennis ace celebrated with his family and team in the stands.
And as he returned to the court, Djokovic seemed to have gotten emotional again, choking up as he thanked the fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
He then put on a T-shirt that featured a picture of himself posing with Kobe Bryant in a tribute to the late NBA icon, who he always admired.
The top had “Mamba Forever” written on the front.
Djokovic later explained he and Bryant were close friends and shared the same winning mentality.
The tennis star added he wanted to honor the legendary Los Angeles Lakers guard since it was his 24th Grand Slam title – and Kobe used to wear No. 24 in the NBA.
Djokovic moved past Serena Williams on the list of players with the most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis’ professional era.
He’s now tied with Margaret Court – who played before and after the pro era started in 1968 – for most all-time.
At age 36, Djokovic also became the oldest singles winner in US Open history.
He went 27-1 in Grand Slam tournaments this year, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon in addition to his victory at Flushing Meadows.
His only loss came in the Wimbledon final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets.