And again they are all together. The Djokovics against the rest of the world. No matter what happens.
World number 1 angered the tennis world because of careless handling of the corona virus on its Adria tour. Novak Djokovic (33) himself and numerous other actors became infected. Criticism is pounding the Serbs worldwide. But the Djokovic family is like a 1 behind Novak.
Mama Dijana (56) speaks, for example, of “terrifying criticism” of her eldest son. Dad Srdjan (59) points to Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian, who was the first player to test positive for Covid-19, had “done great damage to the Djokovic family”. And Djordje Djokovic (24), Novak’s youngest brother, also denies all guilt. “We have done everything to protect ourselves.” That the Djokovics could have made mistakes themselves? No problem.
Protection sought from the bombs
The Djokovic family had to endure a lot. When NATO was bombed by NATO in 1999 in the Kosovo conflict, Novak and his younger brothers Marko and Djordje lived with his grandfather Vladimir near Belgrade. “The basement is practically where we lived,” Novak recalled in a BBC documentary. In the bunker they had sought protection from the bombs that fell from the sky almost every night.
Djokovic was 12 at the time and the parents are often gone. They work in the mountains in the Kopaonik ski area, about four hours away by car. Where Novak has its roots. The parents run a pizzeria and boutique to scrape together enough money for their children and Novak’s career.
Srdjan and Dijana realize early on that Novak can be a way out of poverty. Both have nothing to do with tennis, Srdjan was a ski racer. But when trainer Jelena Gencic Novak started training at the age of six, she quickly became enthusiastic about his talent.
Criminal money for career
To finance his career, Srdjan borrows money from illegal gangs. The usury loans hover over the family like a sword of Damocles. They live in fear of not being able to pay at some point and then receiving the receipt for the big risk.
But Novak Djokovic makes his way. At 12, shortly after the NATO bombs, he left for Munich and trained there in the Croatian academy Niki Pilic. Even then, the goal was clear: the boy wanted to be number 1.
When he first appeared on the ATP Tour at the age of 15 in 2003, he quickly became a top player and led the family into a better life. The first tournament victories followed in 2006 and in 2008 he won his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne, beating Roger Federer in the semi-finals. And Dijana says this sentence in euphoria, which has made it difficult for Novak for years: “The king is dead, long live the king.”
Federer as enemy of the Djokovic family
This affront to Federer is not well received in gentleman sports. Novak’s image suffers and the “we against everyone” attitude of the Djokovics is accentuated even more. Papa Srdjan sits in T-shirts with Novak’s portrait in the box, which is embarrassing even for the offspring.
And again and again the Djokovics target Federer. “He may be the greatest tennis player of all time, but as a person he is the opposite,” rumbles father Srdjan in 2013. He repeatedly urges the Swiss to resign. Last one week ago, when he says: “Raise your children, go skiing!”
The reason for the anger at Federer? It must be because of its popularity. While Federer (and Rafael Nadal) hearts are flying all over the world, the 17-time Grand Slam winner is fighting hard for recognition. It hurts the family. Mama Dijana makes no secret of it. “I suffer from it,” she says. «The public respects Novak’s success. But as soon as he plays against Federer, the fans cheer Federer. »
The younger brothers were neglected
Not the family. The brothers Marko (28) and Djordje (24) actually suffered from Novak’s success. Both were also talented players, also played doubles with him, but never made it to the top. Marko was world number 571, Djordje ranked 1463. “Everything was just about Novak,” her mother revealed to Blic recently about the childhood of the two. “We neglected his two younger brothers.”
Nevertheless, they stick to their older brother, probably also because they are an integral part of the Novak universe. Marko is now assistant to head coach Marian Vajda. And Djordje acted as the director of the fateful Adria Tour.
And Novak’s wife Jelena? She has been part of the clan since 2005. She and Novak have been married since 2014. With the 34-year-old Novak has two children Stefan (5) and Tara (2).
She is the CEO of the “Novak Djokovic Foundation” and recently made headlines with abstruse conspiracy theories about the corona virus and 5G, which she spread on Instagram.
Just like Novak, who announced before the Corona debacle that dirty water can be turned into drinking water by the power of the mind. He also defends his marriage to Jelena in the media against rumors of divorce, railing against the US Open and vaccinations. The Djokovics against the rest of the world.
