Serbian Novak Djokovic told the media that tennis has become an important part of his childhood. Djokovic, a six-time Grand Slam champion, grew up in war-torn Serbia and had to deal with the destruction and at the same time play and practice playing tennis.
“War is something that no one would want, it’s destruction, loss of loved people, families’ ruin and a whole country that uses many years to become like it used to be. So it is inevitable to feel the consequences. But the positive aspect of war, if that’s what we can call it, is that in this circumstance people get in touch, they gather to find the strength to overcome all. During war, everyone loses something, it’s the worst thing that can happen, it’s devastation. That’s the reason why tennis has been my blessing,” he said in an interview with La Nación, an Argentinian daily paper.
“Sport helped me a lot from a mental point of view, it filled my life with positive aspects. No one in my family ever played tennis before me. When I was four I followed it on television. My father and my mother ran a restaurant in Serbia and in the neighborhood they were building three tennis courts…. I fell in love with them right away. I was very lucky to have a father who really believed in me and in my abilities. Furthermore, during my whole childhood, I was surrounded by people who knew tennis very well and who helped me to become a champion. Together with war, another problem of that time was the financial crisis: becoming a tennis professional wasn’t easy at all.”
“Sport gave me everything… beyond sport success, it let me travel around the world, meet new people and new cultures. Having friends and being in good relationship with people is the most important thing to me. In a way, my big love for tennis has saved my life.”
