Top tennis star Novak Djokovic had extra joy following his sixth Italian Open title on Sunday after finding out that his son had won his first ever tournament on the same day.
Beaming with pride, the world No. 1 revealed that his 7-year-old boy Stefan had claimed the honors at a small club competition back home in Serbia just as Djokovic senior saw off Stefano Tsitsipas in straight sets in Rome.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia roars after his victory in the final in Rome, Italy, May 15, 2022. /CFP
Djokovic had told the crowd at the Foro Italico stadium in Rome that he was awaiting news of his son's performance after beating Greek Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6 (7/6).
"My son actually won the tournament. It's a sunshine double today," Djokovic told reporters.
"We had a chat the last few days about the routines and the things he should do before a match and leading him into this world... The first official tournament or match always stays very fondly in your memory. We just spoke and he was on cloud nine with all the family. It was nice," he added.
"He's doing really well so far, he's in love with the sport. He was up late last night and he was showing me forehands and backhands and how he was going to move, playing shadow tennis. I used to do that as a kid."
Rome Masters tennis tournament
Rome Masters, also called the Italian Open tennis tournament, took place between May 7 and 15 at the Foro Italico stadium in Rome, Italy.
Winners:
Men's singles: Novak Djokovic of Serbia
Women's singles: Iga Swiatek of Poland
Men's doubles: Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic of Croatia
Women's doubles: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Veronika Kudermetova of Russia
(With input from AFP)