WATCH: “Leave me alone, I’m playing tennis,” Novak Djokovic’s GOAT-esque attitude as a 4-year-old with a pink racquet tells the story of a million dreams

A tale of a 4-year-old Serbian kid who went on to become the greatest tennis player of this generation, all thanks to the pink mini-racket that his parents gifted him.

WATCH: “Leave me alone, I’m playing tennis,” Novak Djokovic’s GOAT-esque attitude as a 4-year-old with a pink racquet tells the story of a million dreams

Novak Djokovic's first racket (Sources: Instagram, Mamamia)

Novak Djokovic is the most decorated tennis player in the history of the sport. He has won 24 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, which is the most by any player ever. He has also won 40 Masters and a record seven ATP titles, which brings his total tally of big titles to 71.

The Serb has won a total of 98 singles titles throughout his career. The realization that all of this started with a four-year-old kid receiving a mini tennis racket as a gift from his parents is indeed enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. 

YouTube video

Djokovic was born on May 22, 1987, in Belgrade, SR Serbia (Socialist Republic of Serbia), which was one of the six constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to a Serbian father and Croatian mother (before the Yugoslavian war started).

FS Video

When he was just four years old, i.e., in June 1991, his parents gifted him a mini tennis racket and a soft foam ball and they captured his reaction in a video. They were having karaoke in their house and little Novak was in no mood for it. 

However, his reaction changed instantly after getting his new gift. With the tennis racket in one hand and the microphone in another, he started singing as his happiness had no end. He then rushed outside to try out his first-ever racket. He tried to imitate the players he used to see on TV in every way possible. He put the ball in the pocket of his overalls, then took it out and served it. 

I’m playing tennis, leave me alone, I’m playing tennis.
Said the 4-year-old

With his heart filled with joy upon being summoned by someone, the 4-year-old seems to be having the time of his life. The experience of playing tennis for the first time was not smooth for sure but Novak didn’t care and neither should he. He was playing his favorite sport for the first time with his first-ever racket, after all!

Novak Djokovic’s road to becoming the best tennis player in the world 

After giving Novak the first racket of his life, his parents sent him to a tennis camp in the city of Novi Sad. In 1993, when he was six years old, he was sent to a tennis camp that was organized by Teniski Klub Partizan, a tennis club in Belgrade.

There, his talent was identified by Jelena Genčić, who was a Serbian tennis and handball player and coach. She made a major contribution to his life and trained him for six years. 

Novak Djokovic Indian Wells trophy
Novak Djokovic with Indian Wells trophy (Source: Serbia.com)
She is my tennis mother and the most important tennis mentor - the woman who gave me the opportunity to be here. I know she is here with me in my thoughts. She taught me so much about life – not to mention tennis – and that professionalism and dedication comes from her.
Novak Djokovic once said.

Nole developed rapidly as a player, and seeing his improvement, Jelena Genčić contacted Yugoslavian tennis player Nikola Pilić, and he moved to Pilic’s academy in Oberschleißheim, Germany. He spent four years there and improved his techniques.

Due to his determination and hard work, the Serb slowly rose through the ranks and ultimately became the legend that he is today. 

Novak Djokovic’s father always took him to the United States of America, Italy, and Germany to train him at various top academies. 

As these Tours were extremely expensive, his father had to take high-interest loans. Due to this reason, there was always immense pressure on the Serb from a very young age, as he had to deliver and become successful in order to repay the debts that his father had taken for his sake. 

The Serb often says that these hardships during his early life are probably what helped him perform in high-pressure situations in his matches. Novak has always been known for his clutch performances in high-pressure matches. 

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