Novak Djokovic's first tennis coach found him at a mountain snack bar
In the summer of 1993, Novak Djokovic's parents were running a fast-food parlour on Mount Kopaonik in Serbia, beside a tennis camp. The camp's director, Jelena Genčić, spotted the six-year-old and coached him for six years, persuading him to hit a two-handed backhand rather than copy his idol Pete Sampras.
Born in Belgrade in 1987, Djokovic got a mini racket and a foam ball at four, which his father called the most beloved toy of the boy's life. As he outgrew local coaching, Genčić contacted Nikola Pilić, and in 1999 the 12-year-old moved to Pilić's academy near Munich. There he spent months serving at a wall and a full year doing wrist exercises with a rubber band. His father financed training trips abroad with high-interest loans, which left the teenager feeling enormous pressure to succeed.
It paid off quickly. In 2001 he finished top of Europe's under-14 rankings, with Andy Murray second. He turned professional in 2003, and in 2005 was the youngest man in the top 100. In 2006 his family even discussed switching his allegiance to Great Britain after a Davis Cup tie, but he stayed with Serbia, saying he was proud of his roots. At 20, in 2008, he broke the grip Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had on the majors, ending their run of 11 straight by winning the Australian Open.
His peak years were ruthless. In 2011 he rose to number one and went 10–1 against his two great rivals. In 2015 he reached 15 finals in a row. At the 2016 French Open he held all four majors simultaneously, a feat no man had managed since Rod Laver in 1969. An elbow injury then sent him tumbling to 21st in the rankings before he won Wimbledon in 2018 and resumed his dominance.
His records now include 428 weeks at number one, 24 major singles titles with ten in Australia, and 40 Masters crowns. In 2024 he finally won Olympic gold in Paris, completing a sweep of every big title in the sport. He speaks six languages to varying degrees.
Source: Novak Djokovic
