Novak Djokovic, a record 21-times Grand Slam Champion is referred to as ‘A bit of a God’ by his opponents. On Sunday, the Serb won the Wimbledon title for the 7th time in his career. People who wonder it’s ordinary, a reminder that he’s just one behind Federer (8 times), who holds the all-time highest count.
Djokovic is not just a champion on the court but also he’s a great person outside of the court. Experiences in life had already made him the champion, the titles he earned later in life just glorified it.
Djokovic’s struggles as a kid
The Serb is the eldest of three boys born to a Mountain resort owners, Srdan and Dijana. The parents had to send their kids to stay with the grandparents in Belgrade. As a youngster Novak sometimes practised in an empty swimming pool because he was scared to be on open court during bombing raids on the city.
In a recent interview with Chervin Jafarieh, Djokovic recalled his childhood days :
“I think there is, obviously, hundreds of different kinds of pressures. I come from a country that like Persia, like Iran, has gone through a lot of difficulties. [It] has a very rich history, very rich tradition, and culture. But it, especially in the recent three decades, has went through three different wars. These wars create a lot of hardship, just a lot of suffering, a lot of blood and tears.”
Djokovic also recalled the time of the hardships and that how hard it is for the people to combat the difficulties :
“If I’ve not experienced it myself and being in line at 5:45 a.m and waiting for a piece of bread to with my family for that day. I understand what it literally feels like. At one point our family had ten Deutsche marks which was you know, equivalent to ten dollars.” added Djokovic.
The only GOAT who’s never been one-sided audiences’ favourite
The Serbian tennis star has the most varied trophy collection as compared to his contemporaries. Winning the Wimbledon(7 times), French Open(2 times), Australian Open(9 times) and the US Open(3 times). Still the audience always shifts their focus towards Federer or Rafa, when considering the Greatest of All Time.
Djokovic has reached the most finals(32) in an Open Era. Out of 32, he has won 21 times. Neither of Federer(31) nor Rafa(30) has made to the finals of the Grand Slam more than the Serbian.
Novak’s nature and style of play makes him unique. His focused and hungry attitude on the court is a prime example. In the Wimbledon 2022, he came back from behind to win the Quarter-final, Semi-final and Final. Few say that he’s neither as fierce as Nadal nor as calm as Federer, and this mediocre nature makes him less favourite amongst the tennis crowd.
Though Novak Djokovic is the name that people won’t be able to forget for the next 100 years to come. His fans across the world have supported him in every final, every game and would continue to do so.
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