A young tennis fan got the thrill of her life when she went to the hotel where her all-time hero Novak Djokovic is quarantining and struck up a conversation with the 17-time Grand Slam champion as he stood on his balcony.
The Serbian is staying at the newly-opened Majestic M Suites Hotel in Adelaide ahead of the Australian Open, while other players are in hard lockdown in Melbourne.
Nine-year-old Ava Moukachar tried twice to catch a glimpse of her idol and it was on Friday that her dream came true.
Clutching the same Head brand racquet Djokovic uses, she broke the ice by asking him who would win a forthcoming match – him or his competitor.
He replied by asking: “Who do you think?”
The Prospect resident didn’t hesitate to say “You”.
He responded: “OK, thank you” and “nice to meet you”.
“Nice racquet you’ve got there – I like it,” Djokovic remarked.
He asked Ava – who started playing when she was five – what her favourite shot was and was told “forehand”.
The number one ranked men’s tennis player also asked her what surface she preferred to play on and she replied “hard court”.
“So do you want to keep on training tennis?” the 33-year-old asked.
After she replied yes, he pushed further.
“Playing in the Australian Open?”.
Again, affirmative.
“I wish you luck,” he told her.
Ava’s mother Maria Moukachar, also a big fan of Djokovic, said her daughter left on cloud nine, literally jumping for joy.
“She was ecstatic,” Ms Moukachar told NCA NewsWire.
“She’s over the moon at the moment. She’s so excited.”
Ava said she was “a bit nervous to see him” but then “he saw me and waved at me”.
She said the encounter was even better than she’d hoped and she’s even now more inspired to succeed at the sport.
“I want to be in Australian Open when I’m older.”
The Australian Open starts on February 8.
Several players have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Djokovic himself got the virus after taking part in the Adria Tour in Belgrade last year.
Health and Fitness | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site