Novak Djokovic Loses It as Olympian Pulls Off Forbidden Move Banned for 50 Years
Tennis great Novak Djokovic has been spotted at the Winter Olympic Games.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Tennis, Olympics, Novak Djokovic
Marcus Chan
Topics: Tennis, Olympics, Novak Djokovic
A shocked Novak Djokovic was seen reacting to an athlete pulling off a forbidden move that was banned for 50 years at the Winter Olympic Games.
Djokovic, 38, was looking to win his 25th Grand Slam title earlier in the month when he reached the final of the 2026 Australian Open in Melbourne.
However, the Serbian was beaten 6-2, 2-6, 3-6, 5-7 by world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who claimed his maiden Australian Open title.
Following the disappointment Down Under, Djokovic, along with his wife Jelena, was seen taking in the action at the Winter Olympic Games, held across Milan and Cortina.
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The couple were spotted as they watched Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin in action.
During his performance, Malinin successfully landed a backflip on just one blade, leaving Djokovic in awe.
The tennis legend got up from his seat to applaud the 21-year-old before sitting back down with his hands on his head.
The backflip had been banned for 50 years after it was deemed too dangerous.
Back then, American Terry Kubicka performed the flip at the Innsbruck Games before it was banned by the International Skating Union (ISU) the following year. The ISU legalised the backflip again back in 2024.
During the Winter Games in 1998, French skater Surya Bonaly landed a blackflip, but the move was classed as being illegal at the time, and she was subsequently penalised.
Speaking about Djokovic watching his performance, Malinin said, as per the Olympics: "I did see Djokovic. It's so unreal.
"I heard that after I landed my backflip he was like, he had his hands over his head. That's incredible."
He added: "That's a once-in-a-lifetime moment: Seeing a famous tennis player watching my performance. I'm absolutely blown away."
Having stayed unbeaten during his last 14 full competitions, Malinin said, as per AP News: "I wouldn’t tell people I’m untouchable. I want the opposite. I want people to relate to me.
"Yes, I’m doing all these crazy things on the ice that defy physics in some ways. I still want them to see all of us skaters are human beings. I just want to express to people that we’re human. We’re not perfect."