By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 22, 2025
Photo credit: New York Yankees Facebook
The Grand Slam king is now king of the hill.
Novak Djokovic took the mound at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx last night to toss the ceremonial first match before the Yankees vs. Red Sox Game.
“Thank you to tennis legend Novak Djokovic for throwing out tonight’s ceremonial first pitch!” the Yankees posted on social media.
Prior to the pitch, Djokovic met with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and gave the Yankees captain an autographed Head racquet. Judge, who has attended the US Open in the past, presented Djokovic with one of his baseball bats.
The Bronx Bombers could have used some of Djokovic’s offensive skills as they went down to their dreaded rival Red Sox.
So how well does the former world No. 1’s tennis skills translate to the mound?
Well, Djokovic, wearing a sleeve over his right arm, showed good form on his delivery though he bounced his pitch.
Here’s how Novak’s opening pitch compares to a couple of other tennis stars, Hall of Famers John McEnroe and Kim Clijsters, pitching for their beloved New York Mets.
Of course, Djokovic, who was a tennis player and skier in his younger years, did not grow up playing baseball. So given the fact it’s not his native sport, he does a good job.
Rapper 50 Cent, a Queens native, owns the record for arguably the wildest celebrity first pitch in New York baseball history. Djokovic looks like Roger Clemens compared to Fiddy.
