"I drank my first glass of alcohol with Novak Djokovic, he was older, already more mature" - Former Romanian ATP player Cosmin Georgescu
Cosmin Georgescu, a former Romanian tennis player turned coach, has opened up about his time with Novak Djokovic at a German tennis academy, where they shared a room.
The 34-year-old spoke to Romanian media outlet ProSport about his early days in tennis, which led him to the same academy as Djokovic.
The academy, run by legendary Serbian coach Nikola Pilic, is located near Munich, Germany. Djokovic arrived at Pilic's facility at the age of 12 and stayed there for four years. He has since referred to Pilic as his "tennis father."
Georgescu revealed that his father told him he was going to Germany to train for professional tennis and attend high school. Novak Djokovic was the Romanian's first roommate. There were few others with whom Djokovic shared the room, including a Croatian, a Serbian, and even a Russian.
"I had finished a training session. I came home and my father told me: in a week you will go to Germany to a tennis academy. You will play tennis and also attend high school," Georgescu said.
"Nole was my first roommate at the tennis academy of the legendary Croatian tennis player Nikki Pilic. Pilic put me in a room with Djokovic! There were other guys, both Croatian and Serbian, even Russian."
Cosmin Georgescu recalled how he had his first drink with Djokovic at a Munich bar. The Serbian was the older of the two and brought Georgescu his first cocktail. The Romanian remembered how he was getting used to life in a foreign land and doing it with a future tennis star.
"I was with Djokovic for the first time in my life in a Munich bar! I drank my first glass of alcohol with Nole. He was older, already more mature. He took me to that bar and offered me a cocktail saying: 'To my good Romanian friend!' It was my first experience while I was trying to get used to life in Germany. And right with Djokovic!"
In addition to Novak Djokovic, many famous players have come through Pilic's academy, including Michael Stich, Ernests Gulbis, and Anastasija Sevastova.
Novak Djokovic - "Luckily for me, I've had only one significant injury that kept me out of the circuit"
Since leaving Nikola Pilic's academy, Novak Djokovic has put together one of the most incredible careers in tennis history. The Serbian has won 94 ATP titles (third highest in the Open Era), which includes an all-time record of 23 Grand Slam men's singles titles.
Djokovic recently opened up about how staying injury free throughout his career helped him achieve so much success.
"Luckily for me, I've had only one significant injury that kept me out of the circuit for almost a year on and off, with the surgery of the elbow. Other than that, there was some muscle tears and injuries, but generally I've kept healthy, considering the intensity of my career and the amount of matches I've played in the last 20 years," the 36-year-old said.
Novak Djokovic only had one major injury layoff in his 20-year-long career. He suffered an issue in his right elbow and underwent surgery that year.
The Serbian also believes flexibility, which was taught to him at a very young age, has allowed him to stay on top of the tennis world for so long. In addition, a lot of focus and prevention are essential for a tennis player's success, according to the Serbian icon.
"I always have worked a lot on my flexibility, since a young age," he added. "I was taught this was extremely important because that's going to give me longevity. Focusing a lot and doing a lot on prevention."