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As an exciting tennis mother, Dijana Djokovic, mother of the Serbian tennis king, is often scared in the stands. She is also thrilled in a video interview with Serbian online portal “Blic Sport”, in which the 56-year-old woman reveals spicy details of her son’s life as part of the “Mothers of Champions” program. It is not uncommon for her tears to run down her cheeks.
Mama Djokovic in …
«From an early age he was not like any other child. I don’t mean his talent in tennis, but what he was like when he was a child. Always much more mature. He liked to play, but his attention was different. His eyes have been sharp since he was born. Right after birth, she had thick black hair and screamed as loud as a butt. I knew immediately that he was my son.
… Novak’s beginnings in tennis:
“I was never an ambitious classic father, nor in my wildest dreams did I imagine that my son would one day be the best in the world. Since it started, everything in our family has focused on tennis. None of us played at all. At the age of six or seven, we took him to a camp near our old home in Kopaonik. There he met coach Jelena Gencic at the Partizan tennis club. She took it and said that after Monica Seles, she had not seen a more talented boy in the area. Yes, he was talented. But tennis is an expensive sport … »
… his poverty and despair:
“We had a very difficult time. We both work at Kopaonik, but the money was enough to pay the rent. My husband Srdjan accompanied Novak to the tournaments, I stayed at home with two young children, we no longer had any dinar (the currency at the time, the publisher). I woke up every morning and didn’t know how to buy us bread. It hurt, I was desperate. But if you don’t have a choice and a goal in mind, somehow you do. I think we were very brave. If Novak had been born in another country, everything would have been different. But we had no support in Serbia. We have had many sleepless nights. Worry sickened me.
… her husband and his dubious fundraising:
Srdjan borrowed money from people doing illegal business. Of course they wanted him back with high interest rates. It kept turning in circles. To pay off the debt, he had to borrow money over and over and over … The more dealers felt how urgent the money was, the more they raised the interest rate. When Novak went to the Roland Garros junior tournament for the first time, one increased in the last minute from 10 to 15 percent. But what should we do? We had no choice. Srdjan knocked on thousands of doors to find a sponsor. He spoke to business people about whether they wanted to invest in Novak. But people did not listen. Too bad, they probably would have made millions today.
… careless brothers:
“It was all just about Novak. We neglected his two younger brothers because we often spontaneously directed our plans towards Novak. Once, Marko and Djordje should go to a camp in Barcelona. But we canceled it because the whole family flew to Miami in the morning. next to be with Nole. He needed us and we wanted to make him feel like we were behind him. Then he reached the final: it was a key experience. Since then we gave it all for him. Sorry for the other children, they were also talented. But We couldn’t support them either. My husband ran out of reserves. We didn’t have the strength to do it again like with Novak.
… Novak’s expensive price for success:
«It was successful, it was nice. But with popularity came a lot of cruelty. I remember his first final in London in 2005 and the money we got for it. It was like we made millions, and it was just the first hedge we had. On the way home, I was carrying a little more money than I was allowed and was afraid that I would be searched at the airport. When asked about it, I stuttered that it was tournament money, I don’t know exactly how much. Fortunately, a woman appeared at the time and told the customs officer to let me go … In London in 2009 I was even more afraid: Scotland Yard kept us all in the house. Because Novak supported the “Kosovo is Serbia” campaign, Albanian groups threatened him. A neighbor told me that the men in our block, probably drug addicts, wanted to kidnap my dogs for a ransom. Novak then lost to Marat Safin and everyone wondered why. Of course, because the boy was under a lot of pressure! There was no talk of that.
… Novak’s reputation on the tennis court:
«At the beginning of his career, Novak had many health problems. Because he had to give up some games, he was often attacked by the public or by tennis experts. He had a curl in the wall of his nose, he was having trouble breathing. After an operation things were better. In 2010, he was discovered to be gluten intolerant. It made his life difficult. He had to give up in Australia due to the heat. Then his bleeding finger in Paris in 2007: after playing for five consecutive days, he dropped out of the semifinal against Nadal. So everyone accused him, including John McEnroe! I sold him his foot the night before the duel. In the morning I could barely walk in slippers. I advised him not to go to the plaza, he really wanted to receive an analgesic injection. He then beat Nadal 6-2 in the first set. Novak took a medical wait time between sets to bandage the wounds. When Nadal saw the blood, he knew what was happening and then chased him around every corner. Until Novak had to surrender.
… Novak’s way of dealing with defeats:
“Defeat at the Rio Olympics still breaks my heart. Novak is a happy boy and it is easy for him to cry. But the tears at the time were the biggest I’ve ever seen with him. He had all the prerequisites to earn gold. The wish was not granted. He had this elbow problem and couldn’t bear the pressure. He felt that he had disappointed people in Serbia. We were both very excited. Maybe he gave it to me, sometimes I curse a lot.
… the religious experience with Roger Federer:
“I saw many games, but Wimbledon was the most difficult last year. In a stadium where everyone applauded Roger Federer, we were just a handful of fans for Novak. It is not pleasant that Federer or others bother me at those times. But it bothered me because Federer is a bit arrogant. When Federer had two balls, I took my cross from the Don River. I am a believer, I wear the amulet all the time, it often saved me in difficult times. I said to myself, “Nole, you can do it, you have done it twice, you can do it again.” Did. He was saved by God. Novak also believes in God, he feels chosen. He carries a cross that brings him peace and happiness. It is from the Greek monastery Hilandar. Says your prayers morning and afternoon when you need it.
“As a young man who traveled more than at home, he never had time to have fun. Only once did I meet a friend of his, a Kraljevo volleyball player. But then they were almost children. When he later came with Jelena, I thought it would be irrelevant, Novak was only 18 years old, but it turned out differently. He didn’t wait any longer, he married Jelena. It stands to reason that his wife took care of things I otherwise did for him: cooking, housework. I no longer interfere with his life. Unfortunately they don’t live here in Serbia, we rarely see each other. They have their own family, their oasis. There are some differences between their lives and ours, raising children or eating culture, with which I do not always agree ».
… his longing for the son:
I miss the time I used to have with Novak, I long for it. Today he belongs to the whole world more than to his own family. I would love to be alone with him for half an hour, talk, laugh, cry, just the two of us! But this luxury is impossible, it has too many obligations and there are always too many people around it. I’d like to take it by the hand and go somewhere. Someday I will do that!
