Lionel Messi is never short of ideas for a goal celebration. Be it him making a call sign, or trying to be a flying Iron Man. In his stint for Inter Miami, the Argentine megastar has embraced the superhero energy on several occasions, having also imitated Thor’s hammer-grabbing pose, crossing hands like Black Panther, and even shooting webs like Spider-Man. The fans have seen it all. But what if we tell you that Leo likes to celebrate using his hands as a tennis racket as well? Well, the rare sight did occur this week in the Major League Soccer (MLS), thanks to Novak Djokovic.
For the uninitiated, Messi was present at the Miami Open recently, watching the semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 event. He opted to watch live tennis action after taking a break from soccer due to an injury and missing out on his international duties with Argentina. The 2022 World Cup winner was in attendance for Djokovic’s semifinal encounter against Grigor Dimitrov on Friday. The 24-time Slam champion ended up beating the Bulgarian in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 and secured his place in the title clash.
After the match, Djokovic got to know about Messi’s presence at the venue, and he was quick to catch up. The duo met in the players’ locker room, where Messi gave the Serb a signed Inter Miami t-shirt as a gift. Nole also handed him an autographed t-shirt. During the post-match press conference, dated March 28, the former World No. 1 said, “It was the first time I’ve played in front of him (Messi). I’ve watched him play a few times. I think the finals of the World Cup, I watched when he won with Argentina. I think I watched him last year once. I think it was with L.A. with Inter Miami.”
Continuing further, Djokovic added, “Obviously thrilled to have his whole family. I did see him after the match. Came by the locker room. So we spent some time talking and exchanged gifts.” It seems Djokovic may have taught Messi his iconic tennis celebration moves too!
Not long after meeting the Serbian, Messi appeared in the next match for his club against Philadelphia, in the MLS, on Saturday. And within two minutes of entering the field as a substitute, he powered Inter Miami to a 2-0 lead. After scoring the goal, he dedicated it to Djokovic by using his hands as a tennis racket, trying to hit a winner. It was simply awesome. Even Djokovic couldn’t believe it as he reacted to the moment on his Instagram story, sharing Messi’s viral clip.
Talking about the bond between these two legends, Djokovic spilled the beans on an intriguing connection with Leo. And it happens to be from the year 1987. But what is it?
Novak Djokovic reveals his special connection with Lionel Messi
During an on-court interview, Novak Djokovic expressed his gratitude toward Lionel Messi for attending his match against Dimirov, saying, “It’s a huge honor. I mean, he’s such a great athlete, not just a football player. His impact on the world of sport in the last 20 years has been immense. To have him watch me live obviously brings me great, great joy and excitement, and also a bit of pressure, to be honest (smiling). I value that time with him. It’s a wonderful moment for me and for this tournament and tennis in general for him to be here.”
Moreover, he also threw light on an interesting fact. As it turns out, both the GOATs were born in the same calendar. “We’re actually the same age, born in 1987, so it’s quite nice to have him around,” Djokovic said. While the Serb’s birth date is May 22, 1987, Messi was born on June 24, 1987. That’s interesting, isn’t it?
The former World No.1 revealed an interesting conversation as well that he had with one of Messi’s sons in the locker room. The little guy rated Djokovic’s performance on a scale of 1 to 10, and he wasn’t entirely convinced with what he saw. Now Nole has to win the title clash on Sunday to achieve a perfect score. “I was rated by one of his sons today as 8 out of 10, which is pretty good. He, with a serious face told me I have to make 10 out of 10 next match. So I have quite a bit of pressure from Messi’s son there. Yeah, we joked around,” the 37-year-old said.
Djokovic will, anyway, be under pressure on Sunday. He’s been chasing his 100th ATP trophy for quite a while now, and he wouldn’t want to let the opportunity go on Sunday when he steps on the court in his first ATP final of the season, against Jakub Mensik.
Additionally, he will look to become the player with the most Miami Open titles as well. Currently, he’s leveled at 6-6 with former American icon Andre Agassi. Are you backing Djokovic in the championship battle against Mensik? Let us know in the comments below.
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