Justin Bieber jokes he's 'superior' to Novak Djokovic at ping pong in Fanatics Fest video
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Justin Bieber joked that he is “superior” to Novak Djokovic in a newly released video after competing against him at the Fanatics Games during Fanatics Fest.
The 32-year-old singer not only competed against the tennis star but also went head-to-head with legends like Tom Brady and Karl-Anthony Towns at the four-day fan event, held annually in New York City.
This year's event took place from July 16 to July 19 at the Javits Center in New York City.
Justin Bieber jokes he's 'superior' at ping pong
According to a video posted on Instagram by Complex Bets, the 'Baby' hitmaker and Djokovic faced off in a ping pong match, with Bieber saying, “I am a superior ping pong player, he knows it.”
The social media clip also showed the 24-time Grand Slam champion, 39, saying, “I must say, I underestimated Justin’s athletic abilities.” However, Djokovic ultimately defeated Bieber, who then added, “He got me today, so I gotta give him his flowers.”
Justin Bieber donates $1 million prize
Although the 'That Should Be Me' singer lost the ping pong match, he emerged as the overall winner of the tournament and took home the $1 million grand prize.
Bieber, however, donated the entire amount, $500,000 was distributed among the 50 fan competitors in the tournament, while the remaining $500,000 went to charity.
The 'What Do You Mean?' singer also appeared in the trailer for 'Fanatics Fest: All Access,' where he said, “Only at Fanatics Fest do people come together in this way.”
Meanwhile, ahead of the event, Fanatics CEO and founder Michael Rubin told PEOPLE, “Everything’s got to be about the fans. It’s the biggest fan give back we do. It’s the hardest thing we do each year. We plan for it from the second it ends until the next one.”
“How do we raise the bar? How do we keep making it better? This year, there are so many ways. Absolutely spectacular,” he added.
Jason Sudeikis shares admiration for Justin Bieber
Bieber’s surprise appearance at Fanatics Fest came a day before he performed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup halftime show. He was introduced by Jason Sudeikis, appearing as Ted Lasso, before performing 'Everything Hallelujah.'
Later, Sudeikis expressed his admiration for Bieber, saying, “Yeah, man, I love that kid. I got to meet him, ages ago, when he hosted and was a musical guest at SNL. We did some sketches. I bump into him every couple times a year, one thing or another. I think the world of him.”
