June 14, (THEWILL)- Outside the praise for the spectacular performance that won tennis world number one Novak Djokovic his double grand slam tally and 19th title, the Serb also received rave reviews for gifting a young fan his winning racquet after beating Greek finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the French Open on Sunday.
The act of generosity quickly became the highlight of the win when the little boy’s reactions after receiving the racquet went viral for the purity of his happiness from the unexpected but overwhelming gesture from Djokovic.
In the background of Djokovic lifting The Musketeers’ Trophy for outlasting Tsitsipas in their five-setter 6-7 (6) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4, the young fan could be seen beaming with unrestrained joy.
Asked post-match for the rationale of the gesture, Djokovic explained: “I don’t know the boy, but he was in my ear the entire match, basically. Especially when I was two sets to love down, he was encouraging me and actually giving me tactics as well.”
Jeff Eisenberg, a sports analyst went as far as seeking to know what the racquet could get the kid if he ever needed to trade it. “Sports memorabilia experts told Yahoo Sports the boy had good reason to be excited about the gift. Djokovic’s racket would be worth tens of thousands of dollars if the boy put it up for auction.”
Eisenberg added: “The racket could fetch between $25,000 and $35,000 today, estimated Ken Goldin, founder and executive chairman of Goldin Auctions.
“Ezra Levine, CEO of the sports memorabilia investment platform Collectible, went even higher, calling more than $50,000 a “conservative estimate.”
Both Goldin and Levine told Yahoo Sports the racket could appreciate quickly with Djokovic within one major title of tying Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most all-time by a male player.
“Goldin valued the racket at $50,000 if Djokovic secures 20 or more major titles and $75,000-$100,000 if he wins this year’s Wimbledon and U.S. Open to complete a 2021 grand slam.
The Serbian star said the young man was literally coaching him from the stands, providing advice on how to approach his serves and when to dictate the match as Djokovic worked to rally back from down two sets.”
For the highest ranked player, the young fan’s comments, while he needed a pep talk to edge him on, were “cute” and he felt the need to reward the young boy with a thoughtful gesture for sticking with him throughout the whole match.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
