Novak Djokovic Thanks Virat Kohli for ‘Gladiator’ Praise
Novak Djokovic responds to Virat Kohli’s “gladiator” praise after Wimbledon win, sharing mutual respect and friendship between the legends.
On July 7, at Wimbledon 2025s Centre Court, tennis star Novak Djokovic beat Australias Alex de Minaur to reach the quarterfinals. The match had many famous faces watching, including Indian cricket star Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma.
Also in the crowd were England cricket players Joe Root and James Anderson, West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara, and tennis great Roger Federer. Kohli, who recently retired from Test cricket and is now in London, was very impressed by Djokovics performance.
After the match, the Indian star posted on Instagram to praise the Serbian player. He said, What a match. The gladiator was at his best again. @djokernole. Djokovic saw Kohlis message, shared it on his own story, and replied, Thank you for the support.
Virat Kohli and I Have Been Messaging for Years, Says Djokovic
After the match, Djokovic talked about his friendship with Indian cricketer Virat Kohli. He said they have messaged each other a few times and have a lot of respect for each other.
Virat and I have been texting for a few years, but we havent met in person yet. It was a great honor to hear him say nice things about me.I really admire his career and all he has achieved. Ive started playing cricket myself Im not very good at it yet, but cricket is a huge sport in both Australia and India. I guess I need to practice more before I visit India so I dont embarrass myself, Djokovic said with a smile.
In the match, Djokovic lost the first set 1-6 but came back strong, winning the next three sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The game lasted more than three hours. This win was his 101st at Wimbledon and brought him just three wins away from breaking the record with his 25th Grand Slam title.
