Monica Seles was moved by Novak Djokovic’s recent incredible act for a young tennis fan. Just hours before the Australian Open final, the Serbian visited cancer survivor Imogen, an encounter that left Seles emotional.

Djokovic advanced to his 11th Australian Open final after a hard-fought victory over second seed and two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in an epic battle at Rod Laver Arena on Friday, January 30. Now, just hours before his top-seeded showdown with top seed Carlos Alcaraz, the 38-year-old visits cancer survivor and tennis enthusiast Imogen, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of eight. The two had a sweet chat and Novak Djokovic even offered to mentor the youngster in the future.

In response to this sweet gesture, Monica Seles Shared the video on her Instagram Story and wrote,

“This video melts my heart.”

Seles is largely regarded as one of the greatest women’s singles athletes of all time. During her court career, she won nine Grand Slam titles while ranking No. 1 in the world for 178 consecutive weeks.

When Novak Djokovic hails Monica Seles as his ‘childhood idol’

Novak Djokovic Close connection with Monica Seles. Speaking at the 2024 Australian Open, the Serbian revealed that the WTA star was his “childhood idol” growing up, telling the media,

“When I was growing up in Serbia, I had Monica in my mind almost every day because of my tennis mother Jelena Gencic Gencic, as I like to call her, worked with Monica when she was younger, so I heard a lot about Monica this, Monica that, Monica sleeping this much, Monica practicing this, so Monica was definitely one of my childhood idols and heroes, and I looked up to her a lot.”

Djokovic also said that Seles has been his mentor for a long time and always supported him in difficult moments in his career.

“Monika has actually been a mentor to me for many years. We’ve stayed in touch for a long time. Whenever I’ve been injured or disqualified in the U.S., she’s always reached out and offered support and advice in those tough moments.”

In tennis, Novak Djokovic is scheduled to return to the Australian Open on Sunday, February 1 at 3:30 a.m. ET. The 38-year-old will be aiming to set a record as he bids for a 25th Grand Slam title. Carlos Alcaraz.