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Tennis icon Djokovic invests in French football club Le Mans along with ex-F1 stars Massa, Magnussen
Novak Djokovic in action during his semi-final meeting with Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon. Reuters
Novak Djokovic has turned his attention towards football, with the Serbian tennis legend part of a group of investors who have bought a stake in French second-tier team Le Mans. Besides Djokovic, ex-Formula 1 drivers Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen are also part of the group of investors, the club revealed in a statement on Friday.
Le Mans said in a statement that they join other new financial investors into the club, including Latin American sports investment firm OutField and Georgios Frangulis, the founder and chief executive of OakBerry. Frangulis is the boyfriend of three-time women's Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka.
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'The uniqueness of this fund also lies in its contribution from high-level athletes,' Le Mans president Thierry Gomez said in the statement. 'Novak Djokovic, Felipe Massa, and Kevin Magnussen will be part of the adventure.'
No financial details were given.
𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐄𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄 𝐔𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐀𝐔 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐑
Le communiqué officiel 👉 https://t.co/1oV3Mu8Co6#AllezLEMANSFC 🔴🟡 pic.twitter.com/Kc61mbhAfV — LE MANS FC (@LEMANSFC) August 1, 2025
Djokovic is the owner of a men's record 24 Grand Slam titles in tennis. The 38-year-old Serb has won 100 career titles overall, and had won his maiden Olympic gold medal in Paris last year. The last of his victories in the Majors had come at the 2023 US Open, which took him level with Margaret Court for most Grand Slam titles.
Massa won 11 races and secured 41 podiums in his F1 career. When driving for Ferrari, the popular Brazilian was within a whisker of winning the 2008 title, only for Lewis Hamilton to beat him in a dramatic finish at the last race. Hamilton won the title by 98 points to 97.
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The 32-year-old Magnussen drove close to 200 races in F1, securing one podium and one pole position. But the Danish driver was not retained by Haas at the end of last year when his contract expired.
Le Mans football club, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, begins its league campaign on 9 August.
Le Mans — a small city in northwestern France — also hosts the famed 24-hour endurance car race.
With AP inputs
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