Reports: Novak Djokovic's academy will be headed by Viktor Troicki
Novak Djokovic’s tennis academy in Belgrade could soon be headed by his compatriot and former World No. 12 Viktor Troicki, according to recent reports. Troicki is still active on the ATP tour, but he is being tipped to take over the operations of the academy once he retires.
The 34-year-old is currently ranked 201 in the world, and is into the final stages of his career. Troicki recently took over from Nenad Zimonjic as the captain of the Serbian Davis Cup team, and has long voiced his desire to become a coach once he quits playing.
The Novak Tennis Centre is a project that's very close to Novak Djokovic's heart. The Serb wants to turn it into a world-class, state-of-the-art facility, and for that he needs some of the best minds in tennis at the helm.
“At the moment, we have a mini academy, in fact, a tennis club in Dorcol, and the goal is to eventually become a big academy,” Novak Djokovic said. “We have already started to gather people who I think should be there in the professional staff, we are slowly designing an approach both on and off the field to make the offer as complete as possible for life and for decisions made off the field - they are not simple and often we need the help of someone who knows sports.”
Novak Djokovic’s academy has been in the news lately, having been made available for use by several of his peers. A string of Serbian and Bosnian players have been practicing in Novak Djokovic’s tennis centre for a while now, in preparation for the upcoming Australian hardcourt swing.
What is Novak Djokovic’s academy like?
Novak Djokovic’s tennis centre is reportedly aiming to accept 24 students every year, with the training focused more on quality than quantity.
The students are given full-time attention from all coaches and occasionally from Novak Djokovic himself. For others wishing to have a shorter stint at the Centre, there are weekly courses too.
The Tennis Centre currently boasts of 14 tennis courts, out of which 11 are made of clay while the rest are hardcourts. The claycourts are said to be identical in quality to the ones in Rome and Monte Carlo.
The academy is situated in a picturesque location, as can be seen in the video below. The Serb was especially keen to have his centre be a vantage point to view the rich surrounding ecosystem and culture.