Novak Djokovic Shares the ‘Crucial’ Moment That Made Him Realize He Must ‘Achieve Nothing But Success’

Novak Djokovic ended the clay swing with one title and will next play at Wimbledon to chase his historic 25th Major.

Novak Djokovic Shares the ‘Crucial’ Moment That Made Him Realize He Must ‘Achieve Nothing But Success’

Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Wolfy)

Novak Djokovic grew up during the Balkan War and remembers the difficult times very well. There are many stories about his and his family’s experiences that he keeps sharing in interviews.

To support his tennis career, his father, Srdjan Djokovic, had to approach the mafia for a loan. Djokovic was still a child when he realized for the first time that he had to achieve nothing less success because of his family’s financial situation.

The crucial moment, the one that shaped my life and that of my family: at 12 and a half years old, during the bombing, when they put 10 marks [note] on the table. That’s when I understood that I had to grow up, at that moment, take responsibility, and achieve nothing but success.

Novak Djokovic told Slaven Bilic on the Neuspjeh Prvaka’s YouTube channel

Djokovic was last seen in action at the recently concluded French Open. After dominating performances, he reached the semifinals but lost a tight-straight set match to eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion arrived in Paris after beating Hubert Hurkacz to win the Geneva Open title, becoming the third man in the history of tennis to clinch 100 or more singles titles after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. It was also his first trophy since the 2024 Paris Olympics he won by beating Carlos Alcaraz.

Jimmy Connors backs Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic last lifted a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open. Since then, the 38-year-old progressed to just one Major final. He reached the Wimbledon final last year but was no match for five-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz who defended his title with a straight-set win.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

It was the Spaniard’s second consecutive victory over Nole in the Wimbledon final. In 2023, the 22-year-old denied him the Calendar Grand Slam by beating him in five sets in the Wimbledon final.

Djokovic ended this year’s clay swing with one title and just like last year, he hasn’t planned to play a grass-court tournament before Wimbledon. Wimbledon starts on June 30 and the Serb will aim for his historic 25th Major as well as tie with Roger Federer for most wins in the grass-court Major (eight).

But will he be able to achieve these goals? Former player Jimmy Connors has backed him to win the grass-court Major but he also thinks facing the youngsters will be a tough task for him. He said on his Advantage Connors podcast:

Sure? Why not? His success on all the Grand Slam surfaces has been pretty amazing, let’s face it. Going in, I am sure he would have loved to have got to the final there and beaten Sinner and had that confidence flowing to his game. But I keep telling you, that getting older and playing against these young kids is no easy task, especially in these three out of five set matches.

Since 2024, thrice Djokovic’s campaign in Grand Slam events ended because of the two talented youngsters – Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz. The three-time Major champion knocked Djokovic out of the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open before beating Daniil Medvedev to win his career’s first Grand Slam title.

Djokovic then lost the Wimbledon final to Alcaraz. In this French Open, Sinner eliminated him in the semifinals before losing a thrilling final to Alcaraz.

This season, Djokovic lost three consecutive matches twice, before and after the Miami Open which he lost to Jakub Mensik. Even though after his Grand Slam exits, he has expressed his uncertainty over playing the next season, Djokovic, during that interview on Neuspjeh Prvaka, said he dreams of winning the gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Also read: Alexander Zverev Aims to Reach Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Level by Pushing to the Limits