Novak Djokovic, Matteo Berrettini, and F1 star Carlos Sainz join golf stars and celebrities at Ryder Cup opening ceremony in Rome

Novak Djokovic, Matteo Berrettini, and F1 star Carlos Sainz recently attended the 2023 Ryder Cup opening ceremony in Rome on Thursday.

The trio of sports stars mingled with the golfers and celebrities at the glamorous event, which was hosted by Berrettini’s girlfriend, Melissa Satta.

Berrettini posted a picture of himself with Djokovic and Sainz on his Instagram story on Thursday, September 28.

"⛳x 🎾x 🏎," Berrettini captioned the story.

Matteo Berrettini's Instagram story

Djokovic is used to dominating the tennis courts, but he recently tried his hand at a different sport: golf.

The 36-year-old, who recently won his 24th Grand Slam at the US Open, joined other celebrities and athletes for a friendly exhibition match ahead of the Ryder Cup.

The World No. 1 paired up with Kipp Popert, who is the top-ranked golfer in the world with a disability.

The Ryder Cup All-Star game, which took place on Wednesday, September 27, at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, featured two teams of stars captained by Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin.

The Serb played on Team Monty, which also included soccer stars Gareth Bale, YouTuber Garrett Hilbert, Italian surfer Leonardo Fioravanti, and other celebrities.

They faced Team Pavin, which had soccer star Andriy Shevchenko, actress Kathryn Newton, and Formula One driver Carlos Sainz, among others.

Team Monty won the match 7-4 over seven holes, but the result was secondary to the camaraderie and fun that the players and spectators had.

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"Cannot embarrass myself, cannot hit someone in the head" - Novak Djokovic on attending the Ryder Cup All-Star game

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Ryder Cup All-Star Match

In a recent interview with Golf Central, Novak Djokovic shared some amusing stories about his reaction when he got the invitation to join the Ryder Cup All-Star game in Rome.

The World No. 1 also said that he spent a lot of time in the last six months to improve his golf swing.

"When I got an invite, I was like, 'Oh my god. I gotta accept this...' I got a bit prepared. [I thought] 'Cannot embarrass myself, cannot hit someone in the head... because we don't want that. I have no insurance,'" he said jokingly.

"But then I started to ask questions like, 'Who is participating,' and I wanted to know their handicap. And I started to train a bit more, I got lessons, and yeah... when you become a father, you have less time. I haven't played much golf in the last six years," he added.

Novak Djokovic recently announced that he would not be participating in the 2023 China Open.

Instead, the 36-year-old plans to play in the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals before joining his national team for the Davis Cup Finals knockout stage in Malaga.