Yulia Apostoli is giving large credit score to Novak Djokovic for succeeding in tennis as Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mom highlights the Serb’s background was as powerful and difficult because it will get, not like Roger Federer’s “happy” childhood in Switzerland.
As we speak, the 37-year-old holds two of the most important information in tennis – he’s an all-time Grand Slam recorder with 24 titles in that class and he’s additionally the one participant in historical past with over 400 weeks spent on the world No. 1 spot. After trailing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for years within the Slam race, the Serbian tennis star finally gained the battle and ensured that he could be one ending with the best information.
Nonetheless, in recent times, Djokovic a number of instances talked about that he was a winner way back. When he was simply 11, the NATO bombings towards Yugoslavia in 1999 began. And in a few of his interviews that got here in recent times, the world No. 7 admitted that he was nonetheless traumatized by what occurred throughout these instances as he “heard the bombs and alarms go off,” in addition to “saw dead people.” For the 2024 Paris Olympics champion, experiencing that – surviving – and making a reputation for himself was already main success.
Now, Tsitsipas’ mom – who’s a Russian-born Greek – supplied her perspective on why she feels Djokovic’s accomplishments needs to be credited much more.
“Djokovic made it on his personal. No public relations. In different phrases, he received into tennis when Federer and Nadal have been on the highest degree. They have been already the fathers of tennis. And Djokovic wasn’t a reputation, however over time, as time has proven, he proved that something is feasible. Those that condemn him will want time to reassess that,” Apostoli said during a conversation for Mr Tennis YouTube Channel.
“I’ve had a life on several levels. I lived in Belgrade for a while, so I speak Serbo-Croatian. By the way, Djokovic, although they write about him that he’s Serbian, in fact he’s Bosnian by birth. But he chose one of those nationalities who lived in Yugoslavia. He had a very difficult childhood. That can be explained. He had to hide in an air-raid shelter as a child. Federer grew up in a happy country: Switzerland. That’s also worth bearing in mind. He hasn’t experienced those moments when you have to risk something to achieve something else.”
Djokovic: Serbia suffered a lot, as well as our neighbors…
The 1990s were a very critical and dramatic period in the entire area of former Yugoslavia, with multiple wars happening at the same time. For a kid growing up there, it was all but a good situation.
In a recent interview with La Nacion, Djokovic said his country “suffered so much” but also mentioned neighboring countries Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
“Serbia is a really outdated nation. To start with, now we have to make clear that, as a result of now we have a really wealthy historical past and custom. However in current historical past, the final hundred years—World Conflict I, World Conflict II and particularly now, within the final 30 years–we suffered so much, not solely us, but additionally Croatia and Bosnia,” the record 24-time Grand Slam champion said.
Novak Djokovic© La Nacion – YouTube
At the time, it was all about surviving. And Djokovic said that it made him the person he is today.
“I keep in mind standing in step with my grandfather at 5 within the morning to get bread to feed our entire household—my grandfather, my aunt, my uncle, my cousins, my siblings, my dad and mom and I. All of us lived collectively in a small residence as a result of we had no different selection and people are the issues that turned an integral a part of my character, of who I’m right now as an individual,” the 37-year-old recalled.
As they say, there are no winners in wars because it leaves everyone traumatized. And Djokovic was just a kid when bombs were falling exploding near him.
“It’s the fear of the unknown. Not knowing if the next bomb is going to hit your head. And so it was every day, the alarms, the sirens that woke us up every night when the planes were approaching. When I see these wars and everything that is happening… I lived through the war, my city was bombed day and night for two and a half months,” the Serb famous in the identical interview.
In the meantime, the 37-year-old did not win any Slams this yr however he gained his first Olympic gold medal and achieved his greatest purpose for 2024.
For the 2025 season, Djokovic’s purpose might be to attempt to win his twenty fifth Grand Slam and change into the primary participant in tennis historical past to attain that feat.
