Novak Djokovic said it was ‘a pleasure and an honour’ to meet Lionel Messi and Neymar ahead of PSG‘s final game of the football season.
The Serbian tennis star is in Paris for the French Open, and sealed his spot in the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon.
But the day before, he went to the Parc des Princes with his family to see PSG play Clermont Foot in Messi’s last game for PSG. They lost 3-2 despite having a two-goal cushion in the game.
Photos showed Djokovic embracing Kylian Mbappe ahead of the kick-off, and he was not the only one of PSG’s stars to spend a moment with the tennis professional.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner was offered the opportunity to meet with Argentina’s Messi and Brazil’s Neymar – and hailed the pair as ‘great champions’.
Novak Djokovic embraced Kylian Mbappe ahead of PSG’s final game of the Ligue 1 season
Djokovic also met Neymar and Lionel Messi ahead of the defeat to Clermont Foot on Saturday
The 22-time Grand Slam winner is in Paris for the French Open, where he is a quarter-finalist
According to Goal, he told reporters: ‘It was my first time meeting them in person – they are great champions, it was a pleasure and an honour to meet them, especially Messi, a player who left an extraordinary mark in the history of football.
‘They did win the title already, but the expectations are always huge from stars like them. That’s why I didn’t want to disturb them and to enter their space while they were preparing, but they saw me on their way to the locker room [before the game] and they came to say “hi”. It was my first time meeting them in person – they are great champions.’
The Serbian tennis player also revealed a cute moment when his daughter Tara got an autographed shirt from the Brazilian player.
Djokovic said: ‘Neymar signed Tara’s jersey, but it’s an interesting story. She doesn’t follow sports much, but she has a school friend who is half Brazilian-half Serbian – that girl dances all the time to this song about Neymar. That’s why she wanted to meet him badly.’
Ahead of proceedings at the Parc des Princes, Djokovic was welcomed onto the pitch, and allowed to soak up the atmosphere before PSG’s final game of the season.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was also spotted with him at the Parc des Princes
Djokovic is on course to win his 23rd Grand Slam title and make history at the French Open
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was also spotted with the Serbian tennis professional to watch the game.
The Serbian defeated Juan Pablo Varillas in straight sets on Sunday afternoon to make it to the quarter-finals, as he bids to win a record 23rd Grand Slam singles title.
Djokovic has now reached the quarter-finals at the French Open for a record 17th time, but has secured the title just twice amid the dominance of Rafa Nadal.
Earlier in the tournament, the 36-year-old hit out at what he viewed as ‘disrespectful’ booing from supporters at Roland-Garros, after he earlier made political statements about Kosovo.
Novak Djokovic reveals it was a ‘pleasure and honour’ to meet ‘great champions’ Messi and Neymar
