Novak Djokovic took some time off the tennis court to relax his mind after the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he was seen enjoying a round of golf. Djokovic humorously warned former world number one golfer Rory McIlroy on his Instagram, saying, “Golf day. Watch out @rorymcilroy.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has been engaging with other sports in between tennis events this season. After a surprising loss to Luca Nardi at the BNP Paribas Open, Djokovic decided to skip the Miami Open and spent some time on the NBA courts.
Djokovic and McIlroy share a friendship that goes back over 10 years, when McIlroy was engaged to former World No. 1 tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki. Djokovic revealed in an interview during the 2023 Ryder Cup, “I’ve been friends with Rory McIlroy for more than 10 years…So I follow him and actually I follow everyone. But he’s already a friend, and I’m rooting for him particularly, and obviously Europe.”
In 2018, when Djokovic won Wimbledon after a 3-year gap, McIlroy spoke about the inspiration he gained from watching the Serb’s emotional victory, saying, “Seeing Novak winning Wimbledon, he hadn’t won it in a while, and the emotion he showed after that was really cool. Golfers and tennis players are similar in the sense that they are both trying to win four tournaments and it is a huge deal.”
Djokovic is set to participate in the Madrid Open, which starts on April 22nd. He is a three-time champion at this event, with his last title coming in 2019 when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
