The Life of Novak Djokovic
Meet Novak Djokovic
He's one of the biggest sports entertainment tennis stars in the world, he meditates every day and lived through the war in Yugoslavia. This is Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic. Born in Belgrade in 1987, he grew up with his parents and two younger brothers. Aged 3, he started playing tennis on the court opposite his parents’ restaurant. At 6, he was spotted by Jelena Genčić, the coach who discovered Monica Seles. He grew up in a country devastated by war. A few months later, he left his country to train in Germany. At 16, he went professional. He earned the nickname the “Djoker” early on with his playful jokes.
At 20, he created the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which supports education projects for disadvantaged children. In 2008, he won the Australian Open, his first Grand Slam singles title. In 2011, he revealed that he had gluten intolerance and followed a strict diet.He later decided to stop eating meat. At 24, he overtook Rafael Nadal as world No. 1 in the ATP rankings. At 25, he opened a tennis court in a Brazilian favela with former champion Gustavo Kuerten. In 2013, he donated more than $50,000 to help renovate a school for disabled children in Serbia.
At 27, he married Jelena Ristic, the woman he had shared his life with for 9 years. They went on to have two children together: Stefan, born in 2014, and Tara, born in 2017. In 2015, he was appointed as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In 2016, he won the French Open for the first time, the only Grand Slam he had not yet won. At 30, he decided to open a free restaurant for homeless people in Belgrade. At 31, he won the Australian Open for the 7th time making it his 15th Grand Slam title. His success on the court goes hand in hand with his daily meditation practice. In the same year, he reclaimed the No. 1 world ranking after a serious injury.
Once in the shadows of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic has claimed his place as one of the greatest players in the history of tennis and is always ready to use his fame and fortune to help those in need.
Brut.