Novak Djokovic, winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, 100 ATP titles, Olympic gold and bronze medals and a Davis Cup, spoke to (Ne)uspjeh prvaka with former footballer and coach
Slaven Bilic about his tennis past.
At that time, finding $5,000 was practically impossible. So, according to his own account, he turned to those famous moneylenders, criminals, who at that time were the only ones willing to lend money ‘a la carte’, but at an extremely high interest rate
The Serbian tennis player recalled the dark episode that
his father had to suffer so that he could travel to the United States to compete at the highest level.
Those were very difficult times. There are so many stories that can’t be told publicly… car chases and other things, while trying to get by
“For such a big company as the trip to the United States, it was necessary to allocate a sum that, at that time, for the complete stay (travel, stay and everything else), amounted to about $5,000. To stay there and face everything, he had to make sure he had enough money, from all points of view. And at that time, finding that amount was practically impossible. So, as he himself told it, I don’t want to quote him verbatim, but in short, he turned to those famous usurers, criminals, who at that time were the only ones willing to lend money ‘a la carte’, but at a very high interest rate,” he shared.
There is a famous anecdote: when he went to ask them for the money, he explained how much he needed and why. They asked him: ‘Are you in a hurry?’ And he said yes, that he was in a hurry, because the tournaments were starting soon. And then they said to him: ‘Well, the interest is… I don’t know, 15-20%, but since you’re in a hurry, it will be 30%’. And what could he do? He gritted his teeth, reached out his hand and said: ‘Well, whatever it is, I’ll find a way to pay you back’.
“They were very difficult times. There are so many stories that cannot be told publicly… car chases and other things, while he was trying to get by. In the end, he managed to pay it all back, but they were really difficult situations. And then, this story that I was unaware of at the time, was kept hidden,” he said.
Djokovic explains why he had to travel to the United States and why he hates the phrase “This is life”
Regarding that trip to the United States, he revealed that “we didn’t just go for the tournaments. I think the main reason was the invitation from IMG (the biggest tennis representation company and one of the most important in all sports). At that time, Monica Seles was with them; they had the best players and, in each generation, they chose the best talents. At that time we didn’t have mobile phones, just a phone number in Tampa (Florida). We took five flights, the trip took two days and we were supposed to be met by a man. I won’t say his name because he is still on the circuit. That man was supposed to wait for the representative and arrive at night. He was supposed to take us from the airport to Bradenton and arrange accommodation at the academy.”
“My father didn’t speak a word of English. I knew a little, but it was basic. We called, but no one answered. We had an address, but we didn’t know whether to go so late or wait until the next morning. In the end we didn’t go, or rather we did go, but we just ‘kissed the door’ because everything was closed. We ended up in a two-star motel that we found nearby. We slept there and arrived the next morning. They explained the situation to us with the phrase: ‘This is life’. But you didn’t respect the agreement… ‘This is life’. That’s why my father gets hives when he hears ‘This is life’. Because it created an incredible trauma for him. I’ve traveled halfway around the world and you tell me this is life. This bothered him a lot. At that moment, we realized what the tennis world was like there and what a machine it was. Finally, we managed to arrange a meeting with those people and the main executives.”
“They say: ‘Novak Djokovic is less talented than Federer’, but that doesn’t mean I’m not talented”
“I agree that talent is decisive. Talent enhances an athlete’s performance. That’s why they say Federer is the personification of tennis: elegance, style, ease in his game and in his movements. It’s true. Perfection. And also, he is one of the most successful players in history, which makes his career incredible. Perfection, also in that sense. But the talent has to be there, there is no doubt about that. To what extent, people argue and express their opinions. They say: ‘Novak has less talent than Federer’, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have talent. Of course, I just have less, obviously. But I have my own talent, one that works for me, that has given my game and my career what they needed, like his. Everyone brings their ‘something’. Thank God, our sport and our games are so different, so there is room for different types of talent.”
Read the full article here
