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Tadeuša Košćuška 63, Beograd 11000, Serbia
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09:00-21:00
Đoković: Serbia does good thing for tennis

Đoković: Serbia does good thing for tennis

World’s best tennis player, Novak Đoković, is the first seed at the Belgrade Open, and ahead of its start, he talked about the young hopes of Serbian tennis, his academy, the organization of tournaments in Serbia, but also about the natural beauties of Serbia.

At the beginning, Đoković spoke about the great hope of Serbian tennis, Marko Top, who was unfortunately defeated in the first round by Argentina’s Federico Coria (6: 4, 2: 6, 0: 6) after experiencing problems with an injury.

“It’s a shame he got hurt. He had back problems a few days before the tournament, but he showed fighting spirit and I am proud of him for not giving up. He had the right attitude, which is great to see in young players. Coria ranks among the World’s Top 100, he plays excellently on clay. I am satisfied with how Marko played. He trained at our center with our coaches. We are happy that he is with us, he has the potential to become a successful tennis player. We will do everything in our power to support him like we do Hamad Međedović. The two know each other, are peers and can help each other. I also travelled a lot with Viktor Troicki, we grew up together, went to tournaments, played with each other and shared a room. If you have someone to help you, the journey is much easier. I would like to see them spend a lot more time together.”

Đoković also explained the importance of the tournaments organized in Serbia for the development of tennis.

“It is unusual for two tournaments to be played in Serbia in just one month, but it is always nice to play here. We did not even plan to organize it, and it was created as a result of postponement of Roland Garros. I think that the success of a nation in tennis depends on the number of tournaments. We try to organize as many tournaments for young people as possible, with the help of the Serbian Tennis Federation, so the sport can progress further. More tournaments also mean less expenditure. If you do not organize tournaments, it gets harder and more expensive to compete. I am glad that I am here too, because I can be with my family.”

The first WTA tournament ever organized in our country also ended on Saturday.

“I am happy that the players are satisfied, that we received positive feedback. I also heard nice comments about the center, the tournament, the organization. I could not be happier. As a player, I know the important things you need to provide to make everyone feel good. We did our best. I am sorry that the tennis players could not visit Belgrade because of the Covid protocol, but we hope that will change next year.”

He also spoke of ways of physical preparation.

“I am satisfied with my performance in Rome. After five hours spent on the court on Saturday, I did well on Sunday. That satisfied me, knowing that I could play well. I subordinated everything to Paris. In this tournament, I will focus on improving certain segments of my performance, so that I can shine in Paris. It is a very demanding tournament that is played over two weeks.”

Đoković is free in the first round of the Belgrade Open, but in the second round he will face the victor of the Mats Moraing (GER) – Egor Gerasimov (BLR) match.