Tom Brady and Novak Djokovic Share Hug During Backstage Meetup at the US Open: Watch
In a video shared by the US Open, Brady could be seen telling Djokovic to “keep kicking a-- like always,” to which the tennis star replied, “Trying”
Matthew Stockman/Getty, Jon Kopaloff/Getty
Two sports greats collided behind the scenes of the 2023 US Open.
Tom Brady and his three kids — sons John "Jack" Edward, 16, and Benjamin Rein, 13, plus daughter Vivian Lake, 10 — met up with Novak Djokovic after the tennis player's semi-finals win against Ben Shelton at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on Friday night.
In a video shared by the US Open on X, which is formerly known as Twitter, Brady, 46, made his way through the stadium and greeted Djokovic, 36, with a hug in a backstage room, as he introduced his kids and asked him, “How are you doing my man?”
Later in the video, the retired football pro told the tennis legend to “keep kicking a--, like always,” to which Djokovic replied, “Trying.”
The US Open captioned the video: “Two [G.O.A.T.s] in the house at the #USOpen.“
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Two 🐐 in the house at the #USOpen @DjokerNole 🤝 @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/sstbCG3LMA
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2023
The exchange between the two athletes kicked off a busy weekend on the East Coast for Brady, who is set to be honored at the New England Patriots’ season opener on Sunday at the team’s home base of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft teased the celebration, which would happen during the halftime of the game, while speaking on the NFL Network in May.
"The greatest player in the history of the game played right here in Foxboro," Kraft, 82, said at the time. "And I'm happy to tell you and your audience that I invited him back to come here and be with us at the opening game and let the fans in New England thank him for the great service he gave us for over 20 years."
He continued, "It will be the beginning of many celebrations to honor Tom Brady, and say thank you for what he did for us, those 20 years playing for the New England Patriots."
The Patriots selected Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He won six Super Bowls with the team before his surprise announcement in 2020 that he'd join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady won his seventh Super Bowl ring with the Florida team in 2020 and was named Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time.
With the victory, the father of three became the oldest player to be named Super Bowl MVP and win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback at age 43. He then announced his official retirement earlier this year in February.
In an interview with FS1's The Herd with Colin Cowherd following his announcement, Brady said of his work and retirement, "You're on this really crazy treadmill, hamster wheel for a long time, loving the moment and journey. At the same time, it's a daily fight.”
"I have appreciation for so many people that are so committed every day to showing up, to put their max effort into their life and career," he continued.
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