Home » Tennis » “We offered them other options” – Novak Djokovic’s mother recalls why he chose tennis over football and basketball

Dijana Djokovic, the mother of Novak Djokovic, shared stories from the past during an interview with Sport Klub Tenis

Dijana Djokovic, the mother of Novak, revealed that all her three sons chose tennis over other sports.

She was in conversation with sports channel Sport Klub Tenis and recollected a few memories from the past.

She was talking about Novak and his younger brothers Marko and Djordje, who are also professional tennis players, and why the three of them ended up choosing tennis.

Novak Djokovic mother
Novak Djokovic alongside his mother Dijana Djokovic. (Google Images)

Despite offering her kids plenty of options, she recalls that the three of them were not interested in any other game:

“We offered them other options, basketball, karate, football, whatever they were interested, no, it was tennis because their first toy at home was the ball,” Novak’s mother Dijana said.

Djokovic’s mother also spoke on several other topics. The Serbian believed her son would break Roger Federer’s Grand Slam record. She even highlighted some of the tough decisions the family had to take regarding tennis.

“I have no ill feelings for people who don’t support me”

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has admitted that he has no hard feelings towards people who do not support him, especially during his clashes with his biggest rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal during finals of ATP Tours.

It has been a long-standing debate among pundits and fans that Novak gets infuriated and shocked by the crowd’s support for Federer and Nadal during their clashes.

However, Djokovic has rubbed off any such doubts during a press conference:

“I’ve read a lot of stuff suggesting that I am disliked but I really don’t have that impression, especially off-court.”

Novak Djokovic
A frustrated Novak Djokovic during the 2020 Australian Open. (Getty Images)

“Even if that was true, why would I want to add fuel to the fire? I don’t want to stir up negative emotions. I have no ill feelings for people who don’t support me,” Novak continued.

“Having said that, I am not proud of my occasional reactions on the court as my passion gets the better of my self-control at times,” the defending Australian Open champion said.

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