Novak Djokovic honours promise after Wimbledon loss as journalist receives gift

Novak Djokovic showed his class after tasting defeat in this year’s Wimbledon final by gifting his tracksuit top to a Serbian journalist, who made a bet with the 36-year-old prior to the start of the tournament. Djokovic was the hot favourite to beat Carlos Alcaraz but ended up on the wrong side of a five-set defeat, with the Spaniard playing some of his best tennis to claim the spoils at SW19 for the very first time.

Djokovic struggled to hold back tears in the immediate aftermath of his narrow defeat but managed to put his emotions to one side in a heartwarming post-match exchange with reporter Nebojsu Viskovica. He cheekily asked Djokovic if he could have his Lacoste tracksuit top in the event of another Wimbledon triumph, a request to which the 23-time Grand Slam winner agreed to with a handshake.

Although the result did not go Djokovic’s way, he still decided to gift Viskovica the jacket when they ran into each other after Sunday’s match. The journalist was left speechless as Djokovic handed him the top and asked him for a hug, which he received in a classy gesture just hours after the Wimbledon final had drawn to a close.

Djokovic was also gracious in defeat as he showered Alcaraz and his team in high praise after the 20-year-old’s historic victory, a result which ended the former’s decade-long winning streak on Centre Court. His previous defeat came at the hands of Andy Murray in the final back in 2013, while Sunday’s loss marked his first on any Wimbledon court in the last six years.

“I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal] and myself,” said Djokovic when quizzed on Alcaraz’s strengths. “I would agree with that. I think he’s got basically best of all three worlds.

“He’s got this mental resilience and real maturity for someone who is 20 years old. It’s quite impressive. He’s got this Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and fighting spirit and incredible defence that we’ve seen with Rafa over the years, and I think he’s got some nice sliding backhands that he’s got some similarities with my backhands.

“Yeah, two-handed backhands, defence, being able to adapt. I think that has been my personal strength for many years. He has it, too. I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest. Roger and Rafa have their own strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player, amazing adapting capabilities that I think are key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces.”

Djokovic will soon be looking to bounce back from his Wimbledon defeat by winning the US Open, where Alcaraz will be the defending champion after claiming his maiden Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows last year. The outcome is certain to play a major role in determining which of the pair will end the year at the top of the ATP rankings, with Djokovic currently trailing Alcaraz by a margin of 880 points.

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