Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic is working on his Greek. Earlier this week, at the family-backed Hellenic Open, Djokovic drew applause from the crowd at Athens’ iconic multi-purpose Panathenaic Stadium when he spoke briefly in the local language, saying “Good evening, Greece.” I love you during an interview in court.
Does it sound like a cliche that a world-class tennis star repeats at every city stop on the calendar? Only it wasn’t. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was “breaking the ice” with people in his new hometown, the Greek capital Athens.
Djokovic was until recently considered “Serbia’s greatest ambassador to the world” by the country’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, a right-wing politician. However, he lost popularity with the government and became a target of government propaganda media. Since student protests erupted in November last year when the canopy of the renovated Novi Sad station collapsed, killing 16 people, Djokovic has entered the government’s poor record.
Protesters carry cardboard cutouts of Novak Djokovic as they arrive ahead of a massive rally on November 1 to mark the first anniversary of the train station disaster that killed 16 people, in Novi Sad, Serbia. (AP photo)
The rebranding of the Belgrade Open as the Hellenic Open and the relocation of the tournament coincided with his family’s move to Athens, where his children attended school. This happened after Djokovic threw his weight behind the protests.
Djokovic’s recent statement to Greek publication SDNA makes for interesting reading between the lines. “(Moving to Athens) was not something I planned for a long time,” he said. “In fact, in the last two years, things have happened, and decisions have changed in our lives, both personally and professionally. But that’s okay, that’s life.”
Two weeks ago, a street art mural depicting Djokovic’s “huge” Wimbledon celebration was defaced. This is despite Djokovic denying that the gesture was linked to the protest slogan “Pomja”.
Without directly criticizing the president, Djokovic lent his voice to the student demonstrators. In December, Djokovic spoke to He signed off with, “With you, Novak.”
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After their third-round match at the Australian Open, Djokovic used a pen to write the words “For Sonia” on the camera screen. Sonja was injured after a car hit a group of students who had gathered for a blockade in Belgrade. Two months later, he shared photos of a massive anti-government march in Belgrade with the caption “historic.”
Outside of social media, he made a statement while attending a basketball match, the most popular sport in Serbia next to football. Djokovic wore a sweatshirt with the words “Students are Champions” while watching the match between Partizan and Red Star at Belgrade Arena.
President Vucic has tread carefully, unwilling to publicly criticize the hugely popular tennis player. But a pro-government newspaper recently called him a “false patriot” after his move to Greece came to light.
Until last year, Djokovic was the poster boy. Vucic was in Djokovic’s corner when he was deported from Australia and was not allowed to defend his Australian Open title three years ago because he refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
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President Vucic has tread carefully, unwilling to publicly criticize the hugely popular tennis player. (Reuters photos)
Djokovic used his image as a tennis legend to make pro-Serbian political statements on court. In 2023, when majority Serbs in northern Kosovo protested against Albanian mayors and clashed with NATO forces, Djokovic, after his first-round victory at the French Open, wrote on the camera lens: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence.” Relations between the two countries became tense after Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.
When asked after the match at Roland Garros if he was concerned about negative comments, Djokovic said: “Of course I realize that a lot of people might disagree with me, but that’s the way it is. It’s something I stand for. That’s all.”
And now Djokovic is speaking again. But just this time, he is ruffling feathers in his country. On the Serves with Andy Roddick podcast, the former world number one summed up how far Djokovic can go. “I have a lot of respect for Novak,” Roddick said. “I mean, he’s going to move to Greece because of his belief system, and he’s going to uproot everything.”
Djokovic, now 38, did not take the safe route by standing alongside the student protesters, even if that route should take him and his family to Greece.
(tags for translation) Novak Djokovic
