Novak Djokovic showed his true colours by comforting a little girl who had been caught up in a melee of fans after the Serbian had beaten Grigor Dimitrov in the Rolex Paris Masters final at the weekend. Djokovic was in fine form once again on the court on Sunday and won his sixth title of the year as he defeated his Bulgarian opponent 6-4 6-3.
After Djokovic had overcome Dimitrov, he headed over to the crowd to sign autographs. But one little girl found herself pushed up against the metal barriers in the arena as fans jostled to get closer to the champion.
A photographer from the French website We Love Tennis caught the incident on camera and was worried for the safety of the girl. According to the website, a tragedy was narrowly avoided as a vigilant staff member reacted quickly by coming to the rescue of the little girl. And Djokovic then embraced the girl to ensure she was safe and well.
The kind-hearted Djokovic also displayed his compassion on Sunday by pausing his post-match on-court interview to console Dimitrov, who was in tears after the showdown.
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And during his interview, the 36-year-old explained: “I’m sorry about the outcome today Grigor. It’s never easy to lose in a final. I want to encourage you to stay tough and keep going because you’ve been playing some of your greatest tennis this week and in the last few months.
“Congrats to your team and your family. It was a pleasure to share the court with you. We go back a long way, we’re veterans of the tour now. Next gens, or whatever they call it? 30 plus gen?
“I would also like to thank my team in English, because they don’t understand French. Thank you for sticking with me this week, we know how challenging it was on and off the court. I was on the brink of losing three matches in a row prior to today and you guys helped me with my support on and off the court, with recovery and preparation for the next match. This is your victory as much as mine.”
Djokovic’s latest triumph means he has now won 40 Masters 1000 events throughout his illustrious career. And Dimitrov praised the veteran after the encounter as he said: “I’m running out of words for Novak, so I’m going to go to the crowd first. Congrats buddy. I don’t know what [else] to say. Well done? Congrats for another amazing win to you and your team.”
