Novak Djokovic has jokingly banned Lionel Messi from asking him for tennis advice, claiming the soccer icon will “ultimately rule tennis”. The Serbian will return to the court next week when he faces Pedro Martinez in the first round of the Australian Open.
The 38-year-old has been a major icon in the tennis world for decades, winning 24 Grand Slams and Olympic gold medals in a 23-year career. But Djokovic is adamant that had he chosen tennis over soccer, one new star would have “dominated” him. Djokovic met Messi in 2023 after the Argentine joined Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain.
The soccer icon listened to Djokovic and asked for advice to improve his on-court skills, but the Serbian quickly silenced this. He said, “I met Messi at a restaurant in the United States.
“He asked me for advice about tennis. I told him, ‘Please, Messi, don’t ask me that. I’m not going to tell you anything. You dominate football, now you want to dominate tennis. No, no, play soccer. When I retire, you can play tennis.’
“He laughed and said to me, ‘You’re lucky to play soccer with your feet and not your hands.’ But the truth is, Leo’s lucky he’s not a tennis player, otherwise he wouldn’t have won the title. He’s the best football player of all time. I love watching him.”
Messi has had a perfect career in football, winning countless league and European titles and winning the silver medal with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup. He may want to try other sports, but Djokovic is adamant he needs to retire first.
Regarding retirement, former tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou told fans not to worry about Djokovic hanging up his rackets anytime soon. “Don’t worry about Novak, he will be ready for the Australian Open,” he wrote on social media.
“First of all, I can understand why people are worried about Novak’s future given he just pulled out of Adelaide, but I don’t think they should be.
“It’s probably been the last two years that Novak has played on tour. He’s still seeded pretty high so he’ll have time to raise his level at the Australian Open.”
