Novak Djokovic grew up at a time when Serbia was in war with neigbouring countries in the Balkan region. He had a dream to play tennis but there was a six-year embargo in the country and no athlete was allowed to leave the country for four years.
Yet, that didn’t stop the young Djokovic’s dream to become a tennis player when he turned pro in 2003 and won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open five years later breaking Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s autonomy in men’s tennis.
Watch: Novak Djokovic’s first-ever tennis lesson at age four
Novak Djokovic clinched his 7th Nitto ATP Finals crown in Turin, surpassing Swiss legend Roger Federer to become the player with the most titles at the season-finale tournament. Also, the 36-year-old star secured his record eighth year-end No. 1 finish this season and began his 400th week at the top the rankings, becoming the first player in history to achieve this landmark.
Amid all the accomplishments, a viral clip from June 24 1991 resurfaced on social media showcasing Novak Djokovic’s first training session while just four years of age.
The footage revealed how the Belgrade native learned fundamental techniques such as holding a racquet correctly, forehand and backhand stances, and executing groundstrokes under the guidance of his childhood coach.
“Bravo Nole! Look, a champion, he knows. Let’s go,” the Serb’s coach was heard saying in the clip.
After the training, Djokovic was served a meal and he reacted about how happy he was with the training session.
Novak Djokovic reveals his plan for 2024 and beyond
Novak Djokovic arrived at Malaga, Spain yesterday for the Davis Cup knockout phase to help Serbia claim a memorable trophy after thirteen years of wait. The Serbian has been in amazing form this season, winning three out of four Grand Slams, two ATP Masters 1000 and a record seventh Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
After defeating Jannik Sinner in the final of the ATP finals, Djokovic admitted that he will have the same motivation for next year that he had this year.
“I have always the highest ambitions and goals. That’s not going to be different for the next year, that’s for sure. The drive that I have is still there. My body has been serving me well, listening to me well. I have a great team of people around me. Motivation, especially for the biggest tournaments in sport, is still present.”
“It still inspires me to keep going. In the end of the day, people see you performing in the big tournaments, but they don’t see all the weeks & months of dedication day-to-day, week-to-week work, trying to build your form so that you can peak where you want to peak,” he continued.
‘For me, obviously those are Grand Slams & World Tour Finals, & next year hopefully also Olympic Games. The mindset is the same. I’ll keep going. I don’t know whether I’m going to have as good of a year next year, but I’m going to keep this kind of freshness of mind & motivation to do that.”
Novak Djokovic would begin the 2024 season with a strong preparation in the United Cup, where he will lead his country for the title. Analyst and pundits have predicted that the Serbian star would win the Australian Open.
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