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Vanessa Bryant recognized Novak Djokovic’s gesture for her late husband. On Sunday, Djokovic won the U.S. Open against Daniil Medvedev, winning his 24th Grand Slam title. Following his celebration, Djokovic put on a bright shirt blue that read “Mamba Forever,” and that had an image of Kobe Bryant and himself in front. On the back, it had Bryant’s jersey number, 24.
Bryant shared a photo of her TV set, which showed Djokovic proudly showing off his shirt. “Congratulations,” wrote Bryant. “Mamba Mentality. Real recognizes real.”
Djokovic explained his decision to wear the shirt following his win. "I thought of doing this t-shirt eventually if I get the chance to win the tournament," he said. "Kobe was close friend, we chatted a lot about the winner's mentality when I was struggling with an injury and trying to make my comeback, to work my way back to the top of my game. He was one of the people I relied on the most."
Djokovic revealed that the loss of Bryant pained him greatly, even though it occurred some time ago. "I thought 24 — it is the jersey he wore when he became a legend, of Lakers and world basketball, so I thought it could be a nice, symbolic thing to acknowledge him for all the things he has done,” he said.
Djokovic won the first three sets against Medvedev, finishing the match 6-3. He ties Margaret Court as the tennis player with most tournament wins ever. He now has the record for most Grand Slams win in the Open era.