Late last night, Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray in straight sets to win his sixth Australian Open, triumphing over the Scot 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) in a two-hour-and-51-minute victory and bringing him equal to Roy Emerson‘s record of six Australian singles titles.
Afterwards, the world-number-one paid tribute to his opponent, whom he has now beaten four times in an Australian Open final.
“I need to pay respects to Andy and his team for having another great tournament,” said Djokovic. “Tough match, tough luck, tonight, Andy. You are a great champion. A great friend, a great person, who is very professional, and very committed to this sport.”
But, in the mark of a true sportsman, he also paid tribute to the ball boys and girls that “had my back”:
.@DjokerNole celebrates with a ball kid. (AP) #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/kPpCTg3NCV
— Novak India Fans (@NovakIndiaFans) January 31, 2016
He retweeted that photo with this message of thanks:
They had my back for the past 2 weeks. We are in this together win or lose 😉 #grateful #jointheparty https://t.co/y03zSoa8A4
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 31, 2016
Onya Nole.
