Did Novak Djokovic Copy Rashford's Celebration After Melbourne Final Victory?

Did Novak Djokovic Copy Rashford's Celebration After Melbourne Final Victory?

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:24 PM
In this article:
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M.Rashford
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  • Novak Djokovic might have found a new fan in Marcus Rashford
  • Rashford expressed his excitement after the tennis star did a celebration that was similar to his
  • Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open on Sunday, January 29 to place his name among the greats in tennis
  • Despite appearing to copy Rashford, Djokovic has been doing the celebration from as far back as 2018

Manchester United ace Marcus Rashford appeared to refer to Novak Djokovic as the “Goat” after the tennis star did a celebration similar to his after winning a 10th Australian Open.

Djokovic triumphed against Stefanos Tsitsipas after a strong start helped him dig his way to a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) victory.

With his victory, Djokovic equaled Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam victories, with a strong possibility that he will add more to his name.

It was a befitting victory for the 35-year-old, who made his return to Australia after being deported back in 2022, as reported on BBC.

Novak Djokovic, Tennis
Novak Djokovic celebrates winning point in the Men’s Singles Final against Stefanos Tsitsipas during day 14 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 29. Photo by Quinn Rooney.
Source: Getty Images

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To celebrate his win, Djokovic put a finger to his head in celebration – a gesture associated with Marcus Rashford in recent weeks.

On his Instagram stories, Rashford shared an image of Djokovic doing the celebration, alongside the GOAT emoji.

People are still speculating the real meaning behind Rashford’s celebration, and it has been rumoured to be linked with the struggles the forward has had with his mental health.

Who did it first?

There has been an interesting debate on social media on the origins of the celebration, and who may have coined it first between Rashford and Djokovic.

But in truth, Djokovic has been putting his finger to his head from as far back as five years ago, Sports Brief has established.

Djokovic
Djokovic during the CIncinatti Open 2018. Photo:Getty
Source: Getty Images

Rashford only started the celebration in late 2022, but there are images of Djokovic performing the same celebration in 2018, when he beat Milos Raonic and reach the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open as per SportsIllustrated.com.

Rashford’s red-hot form

United fans have been treated to the finger to the head celebration by Rashford quite consistently as the England ace has been in the form of his life since the World Cup.

Rashford is certainly buzzing with confidence, and is proving to be an asset Erik Ten Hag cannot afford to bench as United compete in four different competitions.

Rashford slams VAR

Sports Brief also reported on Marcus Rashford slamming the Video Assisted Referee after he was denied the chance to make history with Manchester United.

Rashford nearly became the first Manchester United player to score in 10 consecutive games at Old Trafford, but his goal against Reading on Saturday was chalked off.

"Unfortunately, VAR got the better of me again today. That's 3 times this season (angry emoji)," the forward tweeted.
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Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.