Ilia Malinin star-struck by Novak Djokovic at Milano-Cortina Olympics: "Once-in-a-lifetime"

Novak Djokovic knows a thing or two about rising to the occasion for his country, and over the weekend, he had a front-row seat to watch one of the brightest young talents in sports do the same.

Djokovic and his wife Jelena were among the fans at Milano Ice Skating Arena who were treated to a gold-medal winning performance 21-year-old American Ilia Malinin, one of the faces of the 2026 Games.

Malinin, nicknamed "The Quad God," is favored to top the podium in the men's singles event this week. But first, he helped the Americans win the team event too by scoring a 200.03 in the free skate that featured five quadruple jumps and a mid-program back flip that left the 24-time Grand Slam champion incredulous.

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Malinin, the reigning world champion, struggled with nerves a day prior in the short program, but showed none with Djokovic watching on. Afterwards, he admitted he caught sight of the 38-year-old tennis great in the crowd, and could hardly believe his own eyes.

“I did see Djokovic, it’s so unreal,” Malinin said after his skate. “I heard that after I landed my back flip, he had his hands over his head. That’s incredible. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment: Seeing a famous tennis player watching my performance … I’m absolutely blown away.”

Stephen Gogolev, who placed fourth in the free skate for fifth-place Canada also admitted to being star-struck by Djokovic's presence, and dubbed himself a "huge fan."

In Milan as a special guest, Djokovic told local media that he was thrilled to finally get to a Winter Games Opening Ceremony in person, and spoke to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera about his aspirations of competing at the next Summer Olympics in 2028. The Games have been special for Djokovic since he first qualified for them, in Beijing in 2008, and he finally clinched a much-desired gold medal last summer in Paris.

“It’s a long way off. At this stage of my life and career, everything feels far away," Djokovic reportedly said, "but I do have the desire to make it to the 2028 Olympics.”