“Definitely More Wrinkles Now”: Novak Djokovic Takes Lighthearted Jab at Himself While Signing 20-Year-Old Photo

Nandini Rikhee | 07/10/2024
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Novak Djokovic, known for his sense of humor, never misses an opportunity to crack a spontaneous joke. He frequently makes himself the subject of his jokes, as seen by his comment on a 20-year-old photo from when he was younger.

The Serb participated in the recent trend of signing an autograph on one’s old picture and then revealing the story behind the image. The ATP media team in Shanghai provided him with a photo from his teenage years. Djokovic initially responded to the image by describing himself as ‘handsome’ and then went on to explain that he was only 18-19 years old at that time.

Djokovic, who is currently playing in the Shanghai Masters, then compared the image to his current appearance, noticing significant changes between the two. He pointed out having “more beard and wrinkles” now, making the host laugh.

“Who is this young, handsome fella here? I was probably like 18 years? 19? A lot has changed. Definitely have more beard and wrinkles,” stated Djokovic.

 

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However, fans believe that Djokovic is aging like a fine wine, and he still has an amazing personality.

Other players like Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner also took part in the trend and shared their respective stories. Rublev and Medvedev were presented with an image of them together. As a funny gesture, Rublev decided to put his signature on Medvdev’s face, leaving the Russian stunned.

Despite the competitive nature of the tournament, the players still found time off the court to engage in such activities. Additionally, Djokovic was also spotted meeting the famous Chinese F1 driver Zhou Guanyu in Shanghai.

Djokovic meets Zhou

Zhou also gifted the Serb with a special edition of the helmet he wore at the 2024 Chinese GP. He explained that the helmet featured an image of the racer from his childhood, captured during his first-ever race.

To reciprocate Zhou’s gesture, Novak also signed a t-shirt for the Chinese racer. The two then took a few pictures before bidding adieu to each other.

Djokovic’s return to the Shanghai Open after five years is going smoothly so far, with the Serb reaching the round-of-32 stage, but his opponent is still unknown.

Post Edited By: Karthik Raman
Novak Djokovic

About the author

Nandini tennis writer

Nandini Rikhee

Nandini Rikhee is a Tennis writer for The SportsRush. Having done her bachelors in Journalism from Lady Shri Ram College for women, Nandini has been working in the field of sports journalism for around 3 years now. During the course of this time, she got the opportunity to cover some major sports events and tournaments like the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games etc. She grew up watching Roger Federer hit his iconic backhand and Rafael Nadal his classic forehand. Being a Tennis enthusiast, working for this sport is a matter of delight for her as it helps her enjoy and love the work.

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