Novak Djokovic’s dad admitted he made some ‘mistakes’, but wouldn’t change a thing (Image: Getty)
Novak Djokovic’s father, Srdjan, has admitted to making “mistakes” with his son – but explained that he wouldn’t want to change a thing. The 24-time Grand Slam champion grew up in war-torn Belgrade, but was passionate about tennis, and his family made sacrifices so he could chase his dreams.
Now aged 38, having cemented his status as the tennis GOAT, Djokovic has recounted stories from his childhood, including the moment his dad told him to “man up”. And Srdjan has now opened up about his approach with Djokovic, suggesting he believed in his son more than Djokovic did.
In a new video shared by the Novak Djokovic Foundation, Srdjan explained: “I made mistakes along the way, for sure. Several times during his development, both as a person and as an athlete. But I wouldn’t change anything. I would do everything the same.
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“Because without that hardness of mine, without that persistence of mine, without that faith of mine that it will succeed – of course, supported by the opinion of numerous experts from all over the world – nothing would have happened. No one believed as I believed, not even him. He didn’t believe either.”
The caption of the video read: “Mistakes are inevitable, but perseverance and faith in a child shapes his path to success. Srdjan Djokovic’s persistence and firmness contributed to Novak becoming what it is today. Their story shows how parental support, consistency, and faith can shape the path of a young athlete, while developing a child’s full potential through challenges and hard work.”
While Djokovic’s father always believed he would become one of the sport’s great champions, he now hopes the world No. 3 will hang up his racket. Almost three years ago, Srdjan shared his wish to see the Serbian superstar retire and focus on other things in life, after giving everything to achieve his dreams.
Novak Djokovic’s father has already shared his wishes to see his son retire (Image: Getty)
Speaking in the Novak Djokovic Untold Stories documentary in 2023, he said: “As far as my wishes for him go, he has already fulfilled them all seven, eight years ago. The rest is this amazing bonus. Tennis is only one segment of his life, not his whole life. I expect him to be recognised for the things he will do after his career ends as well, after he leaves the tennis world, which I hope it will happen next year. And for Novak to slowly but surely… it’s not the end, but in a year and a half, let’s say.
“My wish as a father – I think for some time that he should have stopped working this extremely difficult job. It’s physically and mentally challenging and very demanding – with him being fully dedicated for 30 years, and not taking his foot off the gas, there is not much time for other things in life.”
However, Djokovic doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The world No. 3 enjoyed a remarkable run at the recent Australian Open, beating two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in a gruelling five-set semi-final that ended at 1.30am local time to reach his first Grand Slam final in 18 months.
“I always believe I can. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be competing, and I said this numerous times. It’s great that I was able to beat Jannik in five and really battle Carlos in four close sets,” Djokovic said after finishing runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz.
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