Novak Djokovic delighted by his son Stefan mirroring his dance moves at ATP Finals
Novak Djokovic's son Stefan may have shown semblance to the five-time ATP Finals winner's skills on the court at the tender age of eight but, apparently, that is not their only similarity.
While the young Djokovic is displaying his tennis prowess as he joins his dad's practice sessions at the ongoing year-end championships in Turin, he also seems to have inherited the 21-time Grand Slam champion's dancing skills.
In an edited clip posted by user @tennis.serbia on Instagram, a video dated Nov. 2, 1994 showed seven-year-old Djokovic displaying his dance moves. In what could be a mirror image twenty-eight years later, young Stefan was also caught on cam, dancing on his feet, as the Djokovic family watched the long-time World No. 1's match against Andrey Rublev in the ATP Finals.
Djokovic reposted the Instagram reel on his own story, appearing to be amused and thrilled to see the video. He captioned it with two 'rolling on the floor laughing' and two 'heart eyes' emojis.
Djokovic has been sharing heartwarming moments with his kids during the tournament, one that has gone so well so far for him. In a video clip posted by Tennis TV, the World No. 8 could be seen slapping hands with his son Stefan as they traded places on the court. In a separate video, Djokovic could be seen having fun with daughter Tara as they hid underneath a towel while Stefan took on the courts.
"It brings me harmony" - Novak Djokovic on the presence of kids, wife in the ATP Finals
Novak Djokovic was more than glad to have his very own cheering squad watch from the sidelines during his match against Andrey Rublev in the ongoing ATP Finals.
He expressed delight that his kids Stefan and Tara as well as wife Jelena watched his match from start to finish together, a first for them as a family.
"It's such a nice feeling to have my family, both of my children along with my wife, watching from the first to last point. I think this is the first match that [it] happened," shared Novak Djokovic during his post-match press conference.
Djokovic also had the privilege of having his son, now eight, as a practice partner, a ball boy, and assistant coach to Goran Ivanisevic earlier.
"He just loves going around, getting signatures, playing some tennis, assisting Goran with the ball picking, then coaching on the warmup sessions and training sessions when I'm on the court," said Novak Djokovic.
nah stefan is stealing the show for me and jelena’s reaction😭😭😭 https://t.co/NC6tFh1Tej
While the 21-time Grand Slam champion is not yet used to this setup, this shared moment brings him joy, which in turn translates to his game.
"It's not something that I'm used to, that normally happens. It has been really affecting me in a great way this week. I've been enjoying myself so much on the court with my children. Of course, off the court as well," said Novak Djokovic.
The presence of his children thus brings him harmony and balance, two things Novak Djokovic is happy to have during his final tournament of the year.
"It brings me harmony. It brings me also joy when I am experiencing, particularly on the day of the match, a bit more tension and emotions, pressure of coming into important match. Having them around just balances me really nicely emotionally. It has been working really well so far," said Djokovic.