Novak Djokovic Recalls His Father Borrowing Money from Mafia for His Trip to the US

Novak Djokovic was last seen in action at the French Open where he lost in the semifinal against World No.1 Jannik Sinner.

Novak Djokovic Recalls His Father Borrowing Money from Mafia for His Trip to the US

Srdjan Djokovic, Novak Djokovic (Image via ABC News, X/Jose Moron)

Novak Djokovic remembered the days when his family dealt with a financial crisis during the Balkan War. He recalled how his father, Srdjan Djokovic, to support his tennis career, was forced to go to the criminals for loans.

Djokovic’s campaign on the clay swing ended when he was defeated in the semifinals of the 2025 French Open by eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner. In the ongoing grass swing, Nole will not be participating in the Queen’s Club Championships or the Halle Open. Just like last year, the Serb will play just one grass-court event: the Wimbledon Championships where he last lifted a title in 2022 by beating Nick Kyrgios.

He recently sat down for an interview with Slaven Bilic on the Neuspjeh Prvaka’a YouTube channel. There he talked about the time his dad did whatever he could to send him to the USA to compete for a few weeks.

The total cost of the trip was about $5,000, it was impossible to have that money at that time. My father had to turn to loan sharks, to the mafia. He explained the situation to them, admitted that we were in a hurry, and they charged 30% interest. My father agreed, but there are incredible stories from that time.

Djokovic in another interview back in 2023, said the war was an additional motivation because he wanted to show the world that there were also “good Serbs” living in the country. For sure, the sacrifices during the war years paid off, because Djokovic has now become one of the greatest athletes of all time, winning 24 singles Grand Slam titles, the most in men’s tennis.

Novak Djokovic makes his feelings known about his rivalry with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

A part of Novak Djokovic left with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal when they both called time on their respective careers. Djokovic is the only member of the legendary trio yet to hang up his racket as he is still chasing his historic 25th Major and is also dreaming of the gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Univers Tennis)

But to fulfill these goals, he could run into the two talented youngsters- Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, both of who have now shared the last six Grand Slam titles between them. Against Alcaraz, the 24-time Grand Slam champion holds a 5-3 head-to-head record.

But against Sinner, he trails 4-5 after his defeat in the French Open semifinal. Even though the two youngsters are hampering him from reaching the 25 Majors milestone, his rivalry with them is not the same as what he had with Federer and Nadal, both of who retired at the 2022 Laver Cup and the 2024 Davis Cup, respectively.

It’s not the same. Sinner and Alcaraz are truly exceptional, outstanding players. I’m sure we will be seeing them for many more years to come as leaders of the sport, tennis. For me, though, Federer and Nadal are irreplaceable, and a large part of me left with them.

Novak Djokovic said on the Neuspjeh Prvaka’a YouTube channel

After knocking out the 38-year-old, Sinner lost to Alcaraz in a five-set final, which is now the longest one in the history of the French Open. Djokovic, since winning the 2023 US Open, has reached just one Grand Slam final.

It was at Wimbledon last year where Alcaraz breezed past him in straight sets to defend his crown. In 2023, because of his five-set defeat to the Spaniard in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic couldn’t complete the Calendar Grand Slam.

Before this French Open, Djokovic won his career’s 100th singles title at the Geneva Open. It was his first title since winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics last year.

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