Adrian Mannarino might just be a contender to win the ATP Sportsmanship of the Year 2024 award once the season ends. On Sunday, the 20th seed stunned fans around the world and at the Rod Laver arena with his reaction once he won his first game of the match. Mannarino asked fans to raise their voices with a huge smile and shrugged off his shoulders with laughter in shock after managing to pull off a win in one game against a rampaging Novak Djokovic. He mocked his own poor performance, which has made him go viral on social media.
Novak Djokovic inflicted a double bagel on Adrian Mannarino in the first two sets, 6-0, 6-0 and eventually pulled off the third set as well, 6-3. However, Mannarino never let his spirit down and still believed that he could put up a strong fight. The third set gave fans a glimmer of hope but Djokovic proved to be too strong eventually.
Adrian Mannarino’s reaction after finally getting a game against Novak Djokovic.
Pure joy
He was down 0-6, 0-6, 0-1.
The Australian Open crowd the loudest it’s been all week. pic.twitter.com/izAWOrLpra
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 21, 2024
Many fans believe that only Novak Djokovic can manage to offend many and not be the highlight of a match in which he beats an opponent 6-0 twice. It was Adrian Mannarino who walked off by giving fans a memory of their lifetime and with his overall Australian Open 2024 campaign being an inspiration for a 35-year-old. Adrian Mannarino has become a cult hero of sorts in Australia and the tennis world in general by winning back-to-back 5 set matches before this loss to Novak Djokovic.
Adrian Mannarino beat 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka in Round 1, J Munar in Round 2 and more recently, the US Open 2023 semifinalist, Ben Shelton in Round 3 despite being 2 sets to 1 down. Interestingly, Mannarino continues to hold an incredible record in 5 setters in Grand Slams, winning 14 out of his 17 matches. To top it all, he is one rare player to win more ATP men’s singles titles once he crossed the age of 34.
A magic moment for @AdrianMannarino
RLA is rocking. #AusOpen • @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis#Kia • #MakeYourMove • @Kia_Worldwide pic.twitter.com/X1nuFxjT6i
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2024
After defeating Ben Shelton, Adrian Mannarino admitted candidly that his best way to recover is having tequilla since it helped him relax faster. Mannarino said that it is pointless to look at the past and more important to keep going in tennis and life. He also claimed that he had no idea that Novak Djokovic would be his fourth round opponent and that he prefers not to think too much about the future.
Adrian Mannarino net worth, prize money and ranking
The Adrian Mannarino net worth is estimated to be around $10-15 million USD as per multiple media reports. Adrian Mannarino has won $11.7 million in prize money throughout his career so far. He has sponsor deals with Hydrogen, the Italian apparel brand as well as Babolat for his equipment and Nike for his shoes.
The Adrian Mannarino ranking is 19 at the moment in the men’s singles category. Mannarino is expected to take home $250,000 USD in prize money despite losing in the fourth round to Novak Djokovic.
