Djokovic Humbled by Kohli's 'Gladiator' Acclaim After Wimbledon Comeback Victory

Novak Djokovic, the tennis legend, received a shoutout from an unexpected source: Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli. Following his hard-fought victory in the fourth round at Wimbledon, Djokovic acknowledged Kohli's support, expressing his gratitude for the kind words.

During the match against Alex de Minaur of Australia, Kohli was captivated by Djokovic's tenacity on Centre Court. After witnessing Djokovic's comeback from a set down to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, Kohli lauded the Serbian player as a "gladiator" on his Instagram story. Despite the fact that the Aussie was quite dominant at the start and even had a 4-1 lead in the fourth set, pushing the match to a fifth set, Djokovic displayed true champion spirit and won five straight games to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

Kohli's Instagram Post

"What a win! It was business as usual for the gladiator," Kohli wrote in his Instagram story, accompanied by a clip from the match.

Novak Djokovic acknowledges Virat Kohli's 'gladiator' shoutout (Getty Image/Reuters Photo)

Djokovic's Response

Djokovic noticed Kohli's message and responded with a simple yet heartfelt post: "Thank you for supporting."

Mutual Admiration

Djokovic revealed that he and Kohli have been in touch for several years, expressing his admiration for the cricketer's career and achievements. He also joked about needing to improve his cricket skills before visiting India.

Wimbledon Milestone

The 38-year-old Djokovic achieved a significant milestone on Saturday, becoming only the third player to win 100 Wimbledon matches, joining Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer. He is now aiming for a 25th Grand Slam title, which would surpass Margaret Court's all-time record and tie him with Federer for the most Wimbledon titles won by a male player.

Reflecting on the Match

"I don't know how I'm feeling to be honest. I'm still trying to process the whole match and what happened on the court. It wasn't a great start for me, it was a great start for Alex," Djokovic commented after the match.

He acknowledged that his opponent played well initially, but he was pleased to have persevered and secured the victory.

Djokovic will now compete in the quarterfinals for the 16th time at the All England Club, where he is slated to face Italy's Flavio Cobolli.