Boris Becker reacts to Novak Djokovic's Italian Open 2R win

Novak Djokovic battled his way into the third round of the 2023 Italian Open on Friday (May 12), defeating Argentine Tomas Etcheverry 7-6(5), 6-2 in a surprisingly close match.

The World No.1, who is a six-time champion in Rome, was forced to work for his victory by the 61st-ranked Argentine and prevailed in one hour and 51 minutes to set up a third-round match with Grigor Dimitrov, who earlier defeated Stan Wawrinka.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who received a first-round bye, aims to win his first 1000 Masters title of the season and get a good warm-up before the start of the French Open. There is also bad news for him, as following the conclusion of the tournament in the Italian capital, he will also lose his No. 1 ranking to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.

Anyhow, tennis great Boris Becker, who was once Novak Djokovic's coach, reacted to his former protege's victory in the second round in Rome, taking to social media. While the six-time Grand Slam champion didn't write anything, he did tag the Serb in his post, including one where he can be seen smiling brightly after his win.

Boris Becker via Instagram stories.

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"Considering what he was going through, coming out still walking proudly, it's something that I admire" - Novak Djokovic on Boris Becker

Novak Djokovic pictured at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2023 - Day Five.

Following his victory over Tomas Etcheverry, Novak Djokovic spoke to the media about his former coach, Boris Becker.

He described the German as one of the most mentally strongest people he knows, adding that he admires how Becker is still standing proudly despite what he has been through, referring to his time in prison.

"Boris is a dear friend, of course, my former coach. I've had amazing success in my career with him in my box as a coach. He's one of the mentally strongest people I know," he said.

"Considering what he was going through in the last couple of years, coming out still walking tall and proudly, it's something that I admire. We all try to navigate through life in the best possible way. We all make mistakes," he added.

The 35-year-old then discussed how Boris Becker revolutionized tennis and expressed his hope that his story will inspire many people.

"He's someone that he's so respected by the tennis community and just sports world in general. One of the most famous German athletes of all time, somebody that really revolutionized the tennis as well. In Europe, worldwide as well. He was No. 1 in the world," Djokovic said.

"I see he's doing some talks, sharing his story. I'm sure that a lot of people can get inspired and learn from what he has to say. He sincerely is so open in sharing that, showing who he is, a very, very honest person," he added.