Novak Djokovic to play in World Stars Football Match 2023 against F1 star Charles Leclerc

Novak Djokovic is set to participate in the highly anticipated 2023 World Stars Football Match, where he will face off against F1 star Charles Leclerc.

The Monaco World Stars Football Match takes place just before the Monaco F1 Grand Prix. The friendly match brings together approximately 30 celebrities and sports stars on the pitch.

This year's match between Star Team for the Children MC and All Star Drivers will take place on Tuesday, May 23, at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco. The match will be held on the occasion of the Monaco Grand Prix, which will take place from May 25-28.

Novak Djokovic will play for the Star Team for the Children MC, alongside the likes of jet-ski World Champion Lisa Battaglia, Flavio Roma, Frederic Dehu, Claude Puel, Sébastien Perez, Greg Campi, and Valentin Liénard.

The Serb will face off against F1 star Charles Leclerc, who will be joined by his close friend Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Frey, and many more.

Mauro Serra, President of the Star Team for the Children MC and organizer of the event, expressed his gratitude to all the stars for participating in the event in order to raise funds and support underprivileged children.

“We want to thank the 285 members, the players, the celebrities, the public and the sponsors that have joined us over the years. Thanks to them and their help, we can continue our sporting and charitable events in order to raise funds and help disadvantaged children,” Serra said.

How Novak Djokovic has fared during the clay-court season so far

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Internazionali BNL D'Italia

Novak Djokovic kicked off his 2023 claycourt season with a commanding win over Ivan Gakhov at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Despite his strong start, he was unable to advance further in the tournament, ultimately losing to Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 5-7, 4-6.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion continued to compete at the Srpska Open, where he faced off against Luca Van Assche before falling to fellow Serb Dusan Lajovic in straight sets.

Djokovic's title defense at the Italian Open came to an end in the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by Holger Rune.

Following his defeat to Rune, Djokovic spoke at a press conference about his chances at the French Open. He expressed his intention to refine specific areas of his game in preparation for the French Grand Slam.

"I don't need anything else. Just training and preparing for the biggest clay-court tournament of the season for me. I know I can always play better," he said.

"Definitely, I'm really looking forward to working on certain aspects of my game, my body and I hope to get to 100%. That's the goal. I always like my odds in Grand Slams against anyone on any surface, best of five. We'll see how it goes," he added.