While Novak Djokovic was already looking ahead to a potential record-extending 24th Grand Slam title, there was also time on Sunday for him to look back at what had shaped him as tennis’s most successful male player – hardship and adversity.
Djokovic, who clinched his 23rd men’s major title at the French Open on Sunday, grew up in war-torn Serbia before moving to Niki Pilic’s academy in Munich, Germany in 1999 – one of two key encounters in his life.
“My upbringing was probably different than most of the other players from my generation. Going back to the 1990s when I was four, five years old, and we had couple of wars,” Djokovic told a press conference after winning his third French Open title by defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in straight sets.
“Serbia had embargo. I couldn’t travel for quite a few junior tournaments. So there was a lot of adversity and it was a very challenging time for everyone in my country.
“My family was on a very low budget. But my parents still decided to support me in my dream, which was to become a professional tennis player and hopefully win Wimbledon and be number one in the world.”
Djokovic reaped the rewards of spending time with another major figure in his life, Jelena Gencic, who he called his ‘tennis mother’, with Pilic being the ‘father’.
“She passed away about 10 years ago, but she was an incredibly big influence on me, on and off the court,” Djokovic said.
“She was a true mentor. And she worked closely with my parents, who gave her space and permission to spend a lot of time with me, also when we were not training on the court. I used to go to her home, and we did many different things that were shaping my mind as a human being, but also as a professional, as a young player who dreams of becoming a professional.”
His parents, Srdan and Dijana, were former skiers but had no tennis background, and Djokovic was grateful that they took a leap of faith with him.
“My mother is a rock. She’s an incredible woman who kept the family together in the toughest moments. My father is an incredibly driving force of the family, someone who has instilled in me such power of belief and positive thinking,” he said.
“He never played tennis. No one played tennis in my family, so he had to ask people who were experts, who were knowledgeable in the field, to know whether I had a potential, a talent, whether he should invest money or not.
“So again, we were lucky to encounter these two people early in my career, and they convinced him that he should go ahead. So of course he and my mum had to go through a lot of difficulties, financially, emotionally, whichever way, for me to sit here. So I don’t forget about that. I actually carry it in my heart.”
The respective wives of Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev were the talk of the tennis world during the US Open final, with many pointing out how different they appeared during the decider. Djokovic became the oldest man to win the US Open in the professional era, with the 36-year-old claiming his 24th grand slam title to equal the all-time record held by Margaret Court.
The Serbian star was way too good for his Russian opponent on Sunday (local time), winning in straights sets 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3. Djokovic shared a beautiful moment with daughter Tara court-side, before climbing into the stands to celebrate with wife Jelena and son Stefan.
WAGs Jelena Djokovic and Daria Medvedev were both in attendance inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday night as their husbands battled it out for the title. TV cameras flashed to the wives on a number of occasions, with fans and commentators pointing out a number of stark differences between the famous WAGs.
While Jelena looked very glamorous and was wearing her nicest dress, Daria looked like she was watching on the couch at home. Djokovic’s wife had her hair and makeup done perfectly, while Medvedev’s wife had her hair in a messy bun and was wearing her glasses.
Tennis fans around the world fell in love with how little care Daria gave to how she looked, despite being in the global spotlight in front of millions watching around the world. “Djokovic and Medvedev’s wives cannot be anymore different today. Jelena dressed formally but nervous, and Daria is dressed in sweats but looks relaxed. Both the biggest supporters of their other halves,” one viewer wrote on social media.
Another commented: “I so love the fact that Medvedev’s wife is not dolled up at all. She’s like dressed to work. As opposed to Mrs Djokovic dressed to be Mrs First Lady.”
While a third wrote: “I love that Medvedev’s wife doesn’t dress up for matches and just looks absolutely miserable in the box. That’s definitely how I would be as a WAG. It’s too much stress.”
