![\"Novak](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/djokovic-kouame-miami-2026-thursday.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Off Court News
\n Djokovic congratulates 17 y.o. Kouame, who says ‘I don’t know what to reply!’<\/p>\n
17-year-old Kouame has long idolised Djokovic<\/p>\n
March 19, 2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
ATP Tour<\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic won his first ATP Masters 1000 match in 2005 \u2014 more than three years before Moise Kouame was born.
\n By Jerome Coombe<\/p>\n
Moise Kouame<\/a> held his nerve to close out his first ATP Tour win on Thursday at the Miami Open presented by Itau<\/a>, but what came next left the 17-year-old far more starstruck.<\/p>\n After becoming the youngest match winner in tournament history at the ATP Masters 1000 event, Kouame picked up his phone to see a message from 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic<\/a> \u2014 the player he has looked up to since he first picked up a racquet.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a small secret\u2026 After the win, Novak texted me,\u201d Kouame told Tennis Channel<\/a>\u00a0after his 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Zachary Svajda<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m so nervous, I don\u2019t know what to answer. He texted me something like, ‘Big match today. Congrats. Hopefully you will go far.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe [I should reply]: \u2018Thank you, Novak. Thank you, my idol.\u2019 No\u2026 I don\u2019t know! Imagine having your idol DM you like this\u2026 It\u2019s the coolest thing ever.\u201d<\/p>\n Djokovic, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, won his first Masters 1000 match in Paris in 2005 \u2014 more than three years before Kouame was born in 2009. The French teenager has spoken about his admiration for Djokovic<\/a>, modelling both his mindset and ambitions on the Serbian\u2019s rise to the top of the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope, one day, they won\u2019t be dreams, but a reality, and this is really what I am working for,\u201d Kouame said.<\/p>\n