"Novak Djokovic wanted to do it, live it, but it was not possible" - Medjedovic sadly reflects on time at Serb's tennis center before it was shut down
Hamad Medjedovic joined the Novak Djokovic-run tennis center as a young 16-year-old after being spotted by the 24-time Grand Slam himself at a young age.
The young Serb has gone on to post some big results on the ATP Tour, including winning the Next Gen Finals in 2023. He attributes his success to the support and solid foundation that the Belgrade-based center provided him.
It is then understandable that he was saddened at the center’s closure. Medjedovic, in his latest Reketiranje podcast appearance, said Djokovic had a vision to support the young talent from Serbia through his center, but the dream was cut short.
The 20-year-old expressed disappointment at the country lacking proper training facilities despite having a number of up-and-coming tennis players.
"How many players do we have from Serbia, and we don't have any academy," Hamad Medjedovic said (via Nova.rs). "That is sad. Novak wanted to do it, to live it, but it was not possible for reasons unknown to me."
"I mean, it's all very expensive. In winter, you have to spend money for heating, how profitable it is for us is the question," he added.
Since his breakthrough run at the 2023 Next Gen Finals, Medjedovic has transitioned onto the senior Tour full-time. He now sits at the cusp of a top-100 debut in the ATP rankings. He recently represented Serbia at the United Cup team competition.
"I was lucky" - Hamad Hamad Medjedovic on training at the Novak Djokovic-run tennis center
Hamad Medjedovic also looked back at his own time at the Novak Djokovic-run facility in Belgrade, saying he was lucky that the center was still functioning when he turned professional.
The youngster added that he was provided all the support needed during one’s formative year starting from training space to physios.
"I was lucky when I switched to professional waters, then there was a Novak Tennis Centre," Hamad Medjedovic said.
"I was very lucky and had all the conditions: Physio and all the conditions. God looked at me, Novak Djokovic really wanted it to come to life and succeed, but obviously it couldn't," he added.
Notably, Serbia-based news portal Sport Klub reported in 2023 that Djokovic and his family were to hand control of the Novak Tennis Center back to the city of Belgrade in June of that year.