Striker Erling Haaland shared that Djokovic is his role model outside of football.
Many sports fans today consider Djokovic the greatest tennis player of all time. He has more Grand Slam titles, time leading the world rankings, and Masters 1000 wins than any other player in history. Those numbers are simply extraordinary.
However, the Serbian tennis player encountered a setback at the 2024 Australian Open when he lost in the semi-finals to Jannik Sinner. This ended his six-year winning streak at the event. Coach Goran Ivanisevic said it was inevitable that Djokovic would lose in Melbourne.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion’s attention now turns to the North American hard-court season in March. Djokovic will be participating in Indian Wells for the first time since 2019, which is an extremely exciting prospect.
Haaland has stated that Djokovic is his biggest role model outside of soccer. The Norwegian striker said he likes the way the world’s No. 1 tennis player is always himself. Haaland also has a unique personality, which may partly explain this admiration.
“I like Djokovic. I think he is a good person, he is who he is and what he has achieved is great, from where he comes and from where he is from. I admire Djokovic.”
After that, Haaland very briefly mentioned the process of shaping Djokovic’s personality. The Serbian tennis player came from a troubled and war-torn country during his childhood, but still developed into one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports.
It’s good to see top athletes recognizing each other across their respective sports. Haaland and Djokovic are great players in their respective fields, and they will no doubt continue to bring bring joy to fans around the world.