Novak Djokovic shared a heart-warming moment with photographer Matt Fitzgerald after ending his losing streak at the Miami Open. Djokovic came into the tournament after back-to-back first-round defeats at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells, but he rediscovered the sweet taste of victory by toppling Rinky Hijikata in straight sets.

Fourth seed Djokovic bagelled Hijikata in the first and then steamrolled him in a second-set tiebreak to come through 6-0 7-6. The 37-year-old was in good spirits after the match as he made his way to meet Fitzgerald, who was courtside for his gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics last summer.

And Djokovic oozed class as he shook Fitzgerald’s hand, signed his match ticket, and looked through the pictures of his Olympic win. “Wow,” he said. “I love it. So, you know what we’re going to do? You like this one, right, so I want you to sign, because this is your work of art, so I need your signature.”

The pair then posed for a photo arm in arm, with Djokovic holding the photo of him embracing his family at Roland Garros which was signed by Fitzgerald, and Fitzgerald holding his signed match ticket. “That’s awesome,” said the Serb.

The draw in Miami has opened up for Djokovic, with big names like Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz crashing out early on.

Djokovic will be desperate to go on a good run after struggling through the opening weeks of 2025. He has not won an event since his gold medal in Paris, and due to thinning out his tournament schedule, he has slipped down to fifth in the ATP rankings.

Now working with former rival Andy Murray, Djokovic hopes to squeeze more titles out of the final years of his career. And the pair are confident that good results are on the horizon if they continue putting in the work.

“I did lose to [Matteo] Berrettini in our Doha encounter, he was playing great,” he told Sky Sports. “Then a really poor performance in Indian Wells so I had plenty of time, two weeks almost, and I worked on my game.

“Andy and I talked about the game and obviously we both agreed that if I continue doing the right things and if I play good quality tennis in practice sessions, eventually it’s going to come. So I really believe in the process and I’m really glad that I started off the Miami Open the way I did today, so hopefully I can keep going.”