"People from Balkans have developed incredible resilience" - Novak Djokovic on his and Nikola Jokic's success
Novak Djokovic has said that experiencing war first-hand contributed to the success of Balkan people like himself and Nikola Jokic. Since making his ATP Tour-level debut in 2004, Djokovic has become the most successful men's tennis player in history.
The Serbian has won 24 Grand Slams, 40 Masters titles, and seven ATP Finals. He has also clinched 27 other titles on the ATP tour. The 36-year-old continues to break records, despite the rise of talented youngsters such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
In the world of basketball, Jokic has made a big name for himself over the years. Widely regarded as one of the sport's finest centers right now, the 29-year-old is a six-time NBA All-Star. He also won the silver medal for Serbia at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Djokovic and Jokic, both born in erstwhile Yugoslavia, share a friendly relationship, and the ATP World No. 1 recently attended his compatriot's NBA game as the Denver Nuggets faced the Los Angeles Lakers. After the 24-time Grand Slam winner's win at the Indian Wells Masters against Aleksandar Vukic, he was asked about the secret behind the success of himself and Jokic.
"Even though I don't wish war upon anybody and it's the worst thing that can happen, devastation, families losing close ones, but you know, we had to go through that in the '90s, endure the conditions, basically a war-torn country, embargo, sanctions, just very very difficult circumstances and environment to grow up in." Djokovic said in an interview with Tennis Channel (5:25).
According to the ATP World No. 1, the fact that his generation of Balkan people witnessed war made them resilient.
"But that kind of adversity, I feel, has contributed a lot to who we are today in the world, in not just our sports, but various areas of life, a lot of successful Serbian people, not just Serbian, but Croatian, Bosnian, people from Balkan region have developed this incredible resilience, this mental strength." he added.
Novak Djokovic faces Luca Nardi next at Indian Wells
Novak Djokovic, the top seed at this year's Indian Wells Masters, got off to a fine start in his Round-of-64 match against Aleksandar Vukic.
The Serb dominated the Australian in the first set to win it 6-2. However, Vukic surprisingly turned the tables on Djokovic as he clinched the second set 7-5. In the decider, the World No. 1 looked back to his best as he swept Vukic aside 6-3 to seal his Round-of-32 spot.
The Serb will face 20-year-old Italian Luca Nardi next. The youngster lost in the qualifiers to David Goffin. However, Tomas Martin Etcheverry's withdrawal from the tournament helped him enter the main draw as a lucky loser. In his Round-of-64 match, Nardi defeated Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.