WATCH: Novak Djokovic jokes around with daughter Tara while son Stefan plays tennis during Serb's ATP Finals practice session
Novak Djokovic's kids gave him special company during his final practice session ahead of his 2022 ATP Finals opener against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Serbian was not the only one honing his tennis skills on the court as he was also joined by his 8-year-old son, Stefan, who has been actively playing the sport of late.
During Monday's practice session at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, the 35-year-old was seen joking around and spending quality time with his 5-year-old daughter, Tara, while Stefan was practicing his groundstrokes.
@ozmo_sasa https://t.co/HqTOp6ob1K
@TonyDosen
#Djokovic in good company preparing for his match versus #Tsitsipas.
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Young Stefan has played in a few junior tournaments this year. Earlier this season, while Djokovic was competing in the Italian Open final in Rome, his son was also playing in a junior-level tournament.
The Serb, who won the title, later revealed that Stefan also won his tournament. But Djokovic himself has been cautious not to put pressure on his son and feels it is important to allow him to just enjoy playing the sport at this age. He even urged everyone not to ask questions about his son's tennis career.
"I don't put him under pressure," the Serb said during a recent press conference at the Paris Masters.
"I don't put expectations on him. For me it's important for him to see tennis as a game, a sport that can help him develop physically, mentally, etc. But it's too early to talk about his career and anything else. It's too early. So please don't ask questions about his career. He's only 8 years old. So it's too early," he added.
Novak Djokovic gets off to a winning start at 2022 ATP Finals
Novak Djokovic took the positive vibes from his practice session earlier on Monday into his night-session match at the 2022 ATP Finals against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two players went into the match just over a week after their epic semifinal at the Paris Masters, which the Serb won in a third-set tiebreaker. However, at the ATP Finals, the Serb hardly put a foot wrong, winning 6-4, 7-6(4) to win his 60th career match against Top-3 opponents.
The 35-year-old, who last won the year-end championship in 2015, is aiming to tie Roger Federer's record of six ATP Finals titles by winning the tournament this week. He faces Andrey Rublev in his next match on Wednesday and a win will seal his spot in the semifinals for the third consecutive edition. The Serb has won 14 of his last 15 matches on tour.