Novak Djokovic has recalled being told to “man up” by his father when he was still a child. The 24-time Grand Slam champion grew up in war-torn Belgrade, and his family of five had barely any money between them, but his parents still pushed him to pursue tennis, even though it was the “most expensive” sport.
Djokovic has two younger brothers, and the Serbian superstar realised that he had to step up and mature faster than other children when his father put a bank note on the table, equivalent to around £8, and told him it was all they had. But the 38-year-old is now grateful for that role, and he believes it helped with his tennis.
The current world No. 4 appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored, where the British presenter questioned him on that emotional conversation with his father. “Yeah I remember when it happened and how it happened, because that was one of the turning points in my life,” Djokovic replied.
“And I understood the message behind it, from my father, because ‘OK I need you to man up, I need you to mature earlier than you’re supposed to, I need you to take the role of the second father of the home and take care of your brothers’.”
Although it was a difficult situation for Djokovic and his family to be in, especially at such a young age, the 38-year-old explained that the experience helped him to become a disciplined tennis player.
He added: “I did feel it, and that helped me with my tennis actually. I always had discipline and I was so in love with tennis, so passionate about it and very lucky to encounter certain coaches and mentors and people who were very knowledgeable about sport and life in general.
“So I had a very good guidance, and then at home, because of the circumstances we were going through in our country, there was a lot of tension and my father was a man of survival. My mother was trying to navigate everyone, clean, cook, prepare all of us, father, father was figuring out a way to survive as a family.
“It was tough, it was real life. But as I look back now, I am actually grateful that we went though that experience because it makes you appreciate everything that you have right now. Because you come from that.”
That experience has helped Djokovic maintain perspective throughout his glittering career, and the world No. 4 believes that he steps on the court as “Novak Djokovic the person” and not “Novak Djokovic the tennis player” every time he competes.
“When you are in doubt of what tomorrow brings, not just for yourself but for your entire family and for your city, for your country, and whether you will be able to survive the next day, facing a match point in a Grand Slam is not that hard,” he explained.
Decades later, Djokovic and his family are now reaping the rewards of their hard work and sacrifices. His brother, Djordje, is the tournament director at the Hellenic Championship in Athens, and he got to present Djokovic with the trophy on Saturday when the Serb won his 101st career title.