Mar 28, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (T-M) sits with his family in the stands during the match between Novak Djokovic (SRB) and Grigor Dmitrov (BUL)(both not pictured) in a men's singles semifinal on day eleven of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.

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“I’m Really Grateful..”: Novak Djokovic Reveals Lionel Messi Admiration During Iconic Miami Open 2025 Crossover

The 8-time Ballon d’Or winner was in attendance for Djokovic’s semifinal in Miami.

24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has proven once again that when you’re big, you just are! The Serbian machine took down Grigor Dimitrov on Friday to book his spot in an eighth Miami Open final. During his match against the Bulgarian, there was football royalty present in the stands, in the form of Lionel Messi.

Widely regarded as the two greatest athletes in their respective sports, Djokovic and Messi undoubtedly have immense respect for one another. The 37-year-old Argentine is currently with Inter Miami Football Club in Major League Soccer. The World Cup winning captain was in attendance at the Hard Rock Stadium when Nole produced one of his best serving performances of his career.

Novak Djokovic Shares a Lighter Moment With Lionel Messi After Miami SF Win

As Djokovic was engulfed in his battle with Dimitrov, the camera switched to the legendary Lionel Messi and Venus Williams on Stadium Court. After the match, Djokovic mentioned the left-footed superstar and extended his gratitude towards him for watching the match.

“I’m really grateful [that] he was here with his son and family,” the 99-time ATP Tour trophy winner said. “I admired him for most of his career. We’re actually the same age, born in ‘87. Nice to still have him around.” The duo also caught up in the locker room, leading to an iconic image that will definitely light the internet up in flames.

Leo Messi 🤝 Novak Djokovic

✨ Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award winners unite in Miami pic.twitter.com/FcnuI0UcF6
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) March 29, 2025

“An honor to meet the greatness @leomessi and his whole family. Gracias Leo. Asta pronto,” the Serb captioned the image.

Djokovic Sets Up Jakub Mensik Date on Finals Day

19-year-old Jakub Mensik will be Djokovic’s opponent in Sunday’s Miami Open final. The Czech prodigy fought tooth and nail before prevailing over Taylor Fritz in a three-set thriller, in the other semifinal. This will be Mensik’s first Masters-1000 final, and he currently trails the head to head against Novak by 0-1.

Battle of the generations 🧬

19-year-old @mensik_jakub_ will come up against 37-year-old @DjokerNole for the #MiamiOpen title! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/AikGwuKjxu
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 29, 2025

“It was a dream to play against him [Djokovic] in Shanghai,” revealed the teenager. “For now it’s a bit different. I’m a better player now and I’m going to enjoy it, and it’s going to be really exciting.” Mensik had a mini meeting with Messi himself, after which he went on to post about it and declare him as the GOAT.

Don’t forget to catch the Miami Masters final between Novak Djokovic and Jakub Mensik on Sunday – while one player bids to capture a 41st Masters championship, the other aims to add his maiden trophy to the cabinet.

ATP

Grigor Dimitrov

Inter Miami

Jakub Mensik

Lionel Messi

Miami Open

MLS

Novak Djokovic

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.