“I’m not saying that it would particularly be wrong if we did that,” Novak Djokovic on the chance to switch nationality to British
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Novak Djokovic
Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will be missing the 2022 US Open as the government in the USA did not change its policy of allowing only vaccinated foreigners to enter the country. With Novak staying true to his principles of not getting the vaccine until at least he is not retired from the sport, the Serbian has been forced to miss the second major of the season due to his vaccination status having earlier faced a similar situation in the 2022 Australian Open as well.
It is no secret that Djokovic was offered the chance to become a British citizen when he was just a teenager given his rising popularity in international tennis competitions and the British sought to bring Novak into their own camp. Serbia was then quite shaken by the war and opportunities were limited for the Djokovic family and the offer to become British citizens was very good but Novak’s parents, Srdjan and Dijana, refused and stayed in Serbia.
“But dad and mom made that risk and turned down the offer,”: Novak Djokovic
During an interview with Graham Bensinger back in 2020, Djokovic talked in detail about the offer from Britain and why his family refused to accept it despite it putting an instant end to nearly all of their hardships. While Novak’s growth as a player has now made him one of the most successful athletes ever, the Serbian nevertheless accepted that it would have been no wrong had he switched his nationality.
“Fortunately for us, I was doing really well in the international tournaments under-12 and under-14 years of age so I got supported by tennis agents travelling around in the junior events and we got the offer to switch to British nationality when I was 14 years old. It was very tempting at that time for my parents, very, very tempting because of (to resolve the problems). My family and my parents would get a job, my family would have a house, I mean it was a great, great deal. I’m not saying that it would particularly be wrong if we did that.
“Who knows where the journey would take us. It was mostly the decision of my parents to be honest, you know. Yes, I was of course included and involved in the conversations. I personally didn’t feel it from the beginning because I said listen I don’t want to go and live in England. I don’t know anybody (there). I want to stay here with my friends, I have my school, I have my friends, I have my life, I have my country, I have my language, I have everything here. I just didn’t feel that I would feel (the) happiest there.
“I understood that it was a decision that my parents had to take because it was not only about, I guess, how you feel somewhere but it’s just whether we can survive as a family and something had to be sacrificed so if I wanted to pursue the tennis career then they had to strongly take into consideration moving to London. But dad and mom made that risk and turned down the offer and we stayed here,” said Djokovic during the interview.
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Sarthak Shitole
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