Novak Djokovic congratulates 17-year-old Moise Kouame, says: ‘I don’t know what to answer!’ | ATP Tour
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Djokovic congratulated 17-year-old Kuame, who said, “I don’t know what to reply!”
Kuame, 17, has long admired Djokovic
March 19, 2026
ATP Tour
Novak Djokovic won his first ATP Masters 1000 match in 2005, more than three years before Moise Kouame was born.
Jerome Coombe
Moise Kouame bravely won his first ATP Tour title at the Miami Open hosted by Itau on Thursday, but the next match left the 17-year-old even more starstruck.
After becoming the youngest match winner in the history of the ATP Masters 1000 event, Kouame picked up his phone and saw a message from 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic – a player he has looked up to since he first picked up a racket.
“I have a little secret… Novak texted me after the win,” Kuame told Tennis Channel after beating Zachary Svajda 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. “I was nervous, I didn’t know what to answer. He sent me a text like, ‘There’s an important game today. Congratulations. Hope you can go far.'”
“perhaps [I should reply]: “Thank you, Novak. Thank you, my idol. No…I didn’t know! Imagine your idol DMing you like this…that’s the coolest thing ever.”
Former PIF ATP No. 1 Djokovic won his first Masters 1000 match in Paris in 2005, more than three years before Kouame was born in 2009. The French teenager expressed his admiration for Djokovic, emulating his mentality and ambition after the Serbian’s rise to the top of the sport.
“I hope that one day they will no longer be dreams but reality, and that’s what I’m working towards,” Kouame said.
Next up in Miami, Kuame will take on 21st seed Jiri Lehecka in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head event, another chance to test themselves at the highest level.
Thursday’s win and the information that comes with it is the latest milestone on Kouame’s path to breakthrough. The 17-year-old, currently ranked at a career-high world ranking of No. 385 and the youngest player in the top 900, arrives in Miami on the back of a meteoric rise that includes two ITF World Tennis Tour titles and his first ATP Tour appearance in Montpellier earlier this season.
Now, with his first Tour-level victory and belief built, Kouame’s dream is starting to look closer to reality.
