Novak Djokovic gives Ilia Malinin ‘once-in-a-lifetime moment’ at Winter Olympics | ATP tour | Tennis

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Djokovic delivers ‘once-in-a-lifetime moment’ at the Winter Olympics

The Serbian watches on Sunday evening as Ilia Malinin wins gold in figure skating for the US
February 9, 2026

Novak Djokovic is no stranger to excellence, and on Sunday night he found himself appreciating it from a different perspective.

Just seven days after reaching his 11th Australian Open final, where he fell to world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the 38-year-old Serbian attended the figure skating team event at the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.

Djokovic, alongside his wife Jelena, was visibly captivated by 21-year-old phenomenon Ilia Malinin after he helped the United States win Olympic gold.

“I saw Djokovic, it’s so surreal,” Malinin said after his skate. “I heard that after I did my backflip, he had his hands above his head. That’s incredible. That’s a unique moment: when I see a famous tennis player watching my performance… I’m absolutely blown away.”

The Olympic Games have special meaning for Djokovic. In Paris 2024, he completed one of the last missing pieces of his resume, beating Lexus ATP Head2Head rivals Rafael Nadal and Alcaraz on his way to his first gold medal. It was a victory that he has since called one of the most important of his illustrious career.