Novak Djokovic Tours His Childhood Tennis Club During A Facebook Live Session [Video]

War changes people, even kids.
In the ruins of places of childhood enchantment, there is still beauty all around if you look for it.
There was a 20 year exile from the place he 1st learned the game, caused by the area being unsafe and posted off until unexploded cluster bombs could be systemically cleared. Except in winter, when you could walk about and not worry about the bombs under a heavy cushion of snow.
Aside from winter, the family could never go back due to danger. All tennis there ended in 1998. Djokovic grew up in physical exile from the courts he first learned is sport on.
His wifes most vivid memory in childhood was being knocked down, having her shoes stolen by a gang of young thieves in Belgrade. Sitting on rubble crying, unable to walk the rest of the way home because broken glass, wood and metal bomb shards were everywhere on the freezing ground.. Then being spotted by a gallant local boy (not Novak) who then carried her home barefoot on his back, a kilometer or so.

October 4th, 2016 at 11:07 pm

Good job there Novak, never forget your roots, amazing to see that once terrified little boy from a war torn country became the worlds best tennis player ….

October 5th, 2016 at 3:34 am

Nole Fans:
Probably unnecessary but here is what has just been posted on tennis.com

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2016/10/novak-djokovic-serbia-kosovo-war-nato-kopaonik/61589/

October 5th, 2016 at 6:29 pm

Perhaps now it can be understood why Djokovic is not liked in the West — he always mentions who bombed his country and those were western countries.

October 6th, 2016 at 3:42 pm

Chrisford 1

What a touching story re. Jelena. Does she know who the gallant young lad was…his name…is he still alive?

October 6th, 2016 at 6:11 pm

Djoker’s western enemy tried to punch him at the US Open.
The usa “star” suffered from eating too much before a match and vomiting in front of Rod Laver at a Davis Cup tie. Does that count as bravery in war time?

October 6th, 2016 at 8:00 pm

This is funny… ( Guardian interview )
Like all of us, Michael Peña is talking about Donald Trump. “But what do you think?” He looks at me curiously. I blurt out something garbled about the stealthy rise of fascism. “I just can’t believe he’s made it this far. That’s my thing. I mean, having absolutely no experience. It’s like this guy just picked up a tennis racket and now he thinks he can beat Djokovic.”

October 7th, 2016 at 1:33 am

American democracy, the deliberate dividing of our country into competing power blocks based on race, gender, sex preference and socio-economic gulfs (primarily the Democrats doing since the 60s) – gave us two unfit candidates.
Lest people forget, Hillary Clinton is one crooked, squalid piece of work that lies as easily as she breaths. Yet she is adored as if she is a God by the Establishment and the usual pack of Obama-worshipping celebs.
Trump would actually be easier to check in his excesses being a buffoon that has to be slapped down by his own Party for 4 years than an Uber=connected,Uber-wired Hillary Clinton who is above all law.
This week, she had some stuff leaked from her speeches to the American and International Ruling Elite Classes in her 250K and above speeches.
She wants Open Borders and Open Trade for the entire Western hemisphere until income disparities and access to the good things in life are “levelled” between nations.
She told the bankers that she has to have two positions – one she has to say on many issues for public consumption, and her actual stance which is arrived at in rooms such as this (spech sponsoring Bank HQ’s auditorium).
Of course, America is not as bad as France is yet, with the product of decades of Open Borders and socialist excess taxing of the productive sector squandered on socialist gov’t bets on wrong industries and wasteful public services.

October 8th, 2016 at 3:16 pm

Surprising post from chrisford1. Seemed rational till this outburst.

October 8th, 2016 at 7:11 pm