“Novak Djokovic is like a messiah in Serbia,” said top insider

In the latest edition of the No Challenges Remaining podcast, Ben Rothenberg highlighted how Serbian fans often end up putting their idol Novak Djokovic in uncomfortable situations, as happened at the Australian Open, with the controversial issue that also saw his father as the protagonist Srdjan.

Rothenberg explained: “Novak Djokovic is very attached to his homeland and his fans, we don’t find out today. Nole has a very strong connection with the Serbian people and we know how much nationalism is predominant in those parts. I don’t think any tennis player has ever been tied to his country like Djokovic.

Novak is almost a messianic figure in his country, having become one of the greatest tennis players of all era. For many people, Djokovic is the one who rescued Serbia from oblivion. This feeling makes in so that the climate is always very tense. From my point of view, it would be advisable to lower the temperature as much as possible. We are talking about sport.”

The 22-time Grand Slam champion will play the ATP 500 in Dubai later this month, before taking an extended break from the Tour. Current rules prevent him from flying to the USA for the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami.

Djokovic, the victory in Melbourne and the controversy over Srdjan

2023 started very well for Novak Djokovic. The Serbian star won his tenth Australian Open by losing only one set and reiterating that he is the best player around at almost 36 years of age.

The Serbian champion showed up in Melbourne with an injury to his left hamstring, but his level rose exponentially from the second round onwards. Nole liquidated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final and won his 22nd Slam, thus hooking his eternal rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the all-time rankings.

As if that weren’t enough, Nole returned to the top of the ATP rankings by ousting Carlos Alcaraz from the throne after a 20-week reign. During the first Major of the season, Novak ended up in the eye of the storm after his father Srdjan was immortalized in the main square of the tournament together with some Putin supporters.