While contemplating a possible record-extending 24th Grand Slam victory, Novak Djokovic also had time on Sunday to consider how adversity and suffering helped to mold him into tennis’ most successful male player.
Djokovic, who won his 23rd men’s major championship at the French Open on Sunday, was born and raised in war-torn Serbia before enrolling at Niki Pilic’s school in Munich, Germany, in 1999. This was one of two crucial meetings that changed his life.
“I suspect that compared to the majority of other athletes in my age, I had a different upbringing. Going back to the 1990s when I was four or five years old and we had a few wars,” Djokovic said at a news conference after prevailing over Norway’s Casper Ruud to win his third French Open championship.
Serbia imposed an embargo. For a number of junior events, I was unable to travel. All in all, it was a really difficult period for everyone in my nation, and there was a lot of difficulty.
“The money for my family was really tight. Nevertheless, my parents made the decision to help me pursue my ambition of becoming pro and winning Wimbledon and the world championship in tennis.
Djokovic gained the benefits of spending time with Jelena Gencic, another important person in his life, whom he referred to as his “tennis mother,” with Pilic serving as the “father.”
She died away over ten years ago, but she had a huge impact on Djokovic both on and off the court.
She was an authentic mentor. She also maintained a good relationship with my parents, who provided her the freedom to spend a lot of time with me even when we weren’t practicing on the court. As a young player with aspirations of becoming a professional, I used to visit her house where we engaged in a variety of activities that shaped both my thoughts as a human being and as a professional.
Djokovic was appreciative that his parents, Srdan and Dijana, took a chance on him despite the fact that they had no tennis experience. Srdan and Dijana were former skiers.
“My mom is a solid rock. She is a remarkable lady who managed to keep the family together at the most trying times. My father is a huge motivator for the family and has given me a strong sense of self-belief and optimism, the man added.
He was never a tennis player. Since no one in my family played tennis, he had to consult professionals to determine whether or not he should spend money in me based on my potential and skill.
“So once again, we were fortunate to meet these two guys early in my career, and they persuaded him to go on. For me to sit here, he and my mother had to undoubtedly overcome many obstacles—both material and emotional. I don’t disregard that, therefore. I truly keep it close to my heart.
