No 1 in men's tennis and AC Milan fan Novak Djokovic praised Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a "great friend", and said the Sweden forward "sets a very high standard for everyone."
Milan qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2013 and Ibrahimovic, aged 39, was the club's top goalscorer with 15 appearances in 19 Serie A appearances.
And Djokovic, who has won all three tennis majors this year with victories in the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon finals, said he hopes Ibrahimovic can lead the team he supports to greater glory.
"I've always been his [Milan] supporter, I've always been Rosnero (black and red at heart) and I hope he can do well in the Champions League and the Italian league as well," Djokovic told Discovery+ Sweden. .
“Ibra is a great friend. He is an amazing warrior, a phenomenal champion. He sets a very high standard for everyone – still at his age, even after all the injuries, he is still going.
"It is the Balkan mind, the Balkan mentality that drives and succeeds."
Ibrahimovic was born in Sweden to a Bosnian father and Croatian mother and both countries, with Djokovic's home state of Serbia, used to be part of the former Yugoslavia.
The Milan forward was due to represent Sweden at Euro 2020 but missed the tournament after suffering a knee injury of late.
Djokovic is competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games as he seeks to add his first gold medal to the men's combined record of 20 Grand Slams, having won bronze at the 2008 Games in Beijing.