Novak Djokovic reveals secret weapon to winning the US Open: his 6-year-old daughter

Novak Djokovic had a secret weapon while competing in the U.S. Open finals on Sunday: his daughter, Tara.

The newly minted U.S. Open champ stopped by the 3rd Hour of TODAY on Monday to chat about his big win and revealed that his 6-year-old helped him persevere through the match.

“My daughter was making eye contact with me. Every single time I needed encouragement and strength, she was there. She was giving me a fist bump,” he said.

After he won the match, Djokovic was eager to get some love from his No. 1 fan.

“Actually, that was the first thing I wanted to do, once I dropped the racket on the side after I shook hands with my opponent, just to hug her," he shared with Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones and Vicky Nguyen in Studio 1A.

Djokovic's 9-year-old son, Stefan, also watched his dad's big win while sitting in the players' box alongside the athlete's parents, wife, family, coaches and friends, including Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves. The tennis star also honored late friend Kobe Bryant by donning a "Mamba Forever" T-shirt while accepting the trophy.

"It was incredible to have the closest people in my life there to witness this historic moment. And for me to be able to share it with them is something that is truly remarkable," he said.

The tennis pro said this win helped him check off a parenting bucket list item.

"When I became a father, it was one of my greatest wishes that one day I (would) get to win a grand slam in front of them on the stands and they (would be) old enough to realize what's happening. So that was a reality last night and it was amazing," he said.

This win, his 24th Grand Slam title, was particularly notable as he tied Margaret Court for the record of most-ever championship titles. Djokovic is also the oldest to win the event at 36 years old.

When asked if the gravity of his achievements has sunk in, the tennis pro said, "Not yet."

"It has been quite a busy night as you can imagine, but (it's been) amazing to spend some quality time with my team, with my family, celebrating," he said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com