Novak Djokovic defends ‘weird’ Ibrahimovic as Serb learns from him and Brady

Novak Djokovic has opened up on his friendships with both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tom Brady, as he addressed claims that the footballer is “weird”. The world No 2 explained why he has tried to nurture his relationships with fellow athletes as he continues his quest to win another US Open crown.

Djokovic advanced to the quarter-final of the US Open on Sunday night with American football star Aaron Rodgers watching on from the stands. It’s not the first time one of the Serb’s fellow athletes has attended his matches, as Ibrahimovic, Brady and Kylian Mbappe were among the big names who watched Djokovic win his 23rd Major title at the French Open this year.

The 36-year-old counts the former two as good friends and Djokovic claims that he understands Ibrahimovic better than most, given their Balkan blood. “Zlatan, my favourite football player, no doubt,” the world No 2 said after beating Borna Gojo at the US Open.

And Djokovic defended the striker against any “weird” claims as he continued: “Soccer, as you call it here. His Balkan mentality is something that is very familiar to me, let’s say, even though maybe it looks weird to the rest of the world. I understand him very, very well, have known him the last 15 years.”

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The 23-time Grand Slam champion also opened up on his relationship with Brady, after the quarterback got a special invitation into Djokovic’s box earlier this year. He added: “Tom Brady being in my box for Roland Garros finals, and sitting next to my wife, was a huge honour. I have a relationship with Tom for several years. We go back. I have tremendous respect for him.

“His longevity, I feel like his way of approaching recovery, is something that I feel like is a subject that interests us both. We spoke a lot on that topic. Hopefully we will more pick each other’s brains in the future.”

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And Djokovic’s decision to befriend other sports stars was a conscious one, as he explained why he wants them around. “Yeah, I mean, I try to maintain and nurture relationships with athletes from different sports because, as an athlete, of course I relate to them, I identify myself with what they are doing, and. I can understand the pain, the sacrifice, the dedication,” the 36-year-old said.

“I respect the greatness, especially the guys that have made it to an all-time great level in their respective sports. Those are the kind of people that you want to be around. You want to learn things from them because you never know, there are things that can be so inspirational, as they are in my relationship with Tom.”

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