Novak Djokovic hugs six-year-old Japanese fan Kojiro Owaki and hits with him during the Serbia Open (photo courtesy of @JiRo_NoSuKe on Twitter).
Novak Djokovic made a young fan’s dream come true by practicing with him on the sidelines of the Serbia Open.
Kojiro Owaki, a six-year-old tennis player and huge Djokovic fan, flew to Serbia at the invitation of his idol and got the chance to share the court with him.
In a video posted on the young Japanese’s Twitter and Instagram accounts. Djokovic could be seen exchanging volleys at the net with Kojiro.
The World No. 1 also heaped praise on the net skills of Kojiro, commenting “very good” and “bravo.” He even shared a valuable tip, reminding his young fan to do a split step before each volley.
“Thank you for fulfilling Kojiro’s dream of ‘I want to go to Serbia, where my favorite Djokovic was born,'” a post on the Japanese’s Twitter account read.
In February, Kojiro shared a screenshot of a message he received from Djokovic inviting him to the Serbia Open.
“At the invitation of @djokernole, I will be going to Serbia in April. Kojirou is very excited. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Earlier this month, Kojiro shared another video with Djokovic in which the Serb could be seen dropping his bag to hug the young Japanese.
Kojiro and his brother have a huge following on social media. They have interacted with the cream of the tennis world, including Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Patrick Mouratoglou and Sascha Bajin.
Novak Djokovic will face Karen Khachanov in the semifinal of the Serbia Open
Novak Djokovic in action at the Serbia Open.
Novak Djokovic will continue his bid for a third title in the Serbia Open when he squares off against World No. 26 Karen Khachanov in the semifinals on Saturday.
After back-to-back three-set victories against fellow Serbs Laslo Djere and Miomir Kecmanovic, Djokovic sounded confident about his form, saying that he has never felt better, fresher, or stronger.”
Djokovic leads the head-to-head with Khachanov 5-1, with the Serb winning their last four meetings. The World No. 1 won their lone match on clay at Roland Garros two years ago.
