Watch: Novak Djokovic's son Stefan plays a brilliant backhand winner against coach Goran Ivanisevic
World No. 8 Novak Djokovic has been entertaining the tennis world for more than a decade and now his son Stefan appears to be setting the groundwork to carry the legacy forward.
In a heartening video that was put out on social media on Tuesday, Stefan was spotted playing with Djokovic's coach and former player Goran Ivanisevic on a practice court at the Pala Alpitour Arena in Turin. The crowd in attendance cheered every return shot from Stefan and was stunned by the surprising backhand winner that he pulled off.
"Amazing backhand winner of Stefan Djokovic," a post read on Twitter.
Amazing backhand winner of Stefan Djokovic 👦🎾😁 https://t.co/PSHsk8BHqn
Stefan was seen middling his shots and was accurate in his returns. At one point, Ivanisevic even lifted his racket and clapped to show his appreciation for a backhand shot that his young opponent pulled off.
While Stefan seemed to relish his time on the court at the Pala Alpitour Arena, his father was spotted getting involved in a serious practice session ahead of his second group stage match of the ATP Finals on Wednesday, where the 35-year-old will lock horns with Andrey Rublev.
The Serbian holds a 1-1 head-to-head record with the Russian. They last met in the Serbia Open final, where Rublev defeated the home favorite 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-0 to win the title.
"Making history of this sport is always a big motivational factor for me"- Novak Djokovic reflects on his possibility of equalling Roger Federer's record of six ATP Finals titles
Seventh seed Novak Djokovic will equalize Roger Federer's record of most titles in the ATP Finals if he emerges victorious from the 2022 edition of the event. The Serb has won five titles at the tournament, just one short of the Swiss maestro's record.
The 35-year-old, in a recent press conference at the ATP Finals, was asked how much the player was focusing on equalling the record this year. He replied:
"Well, of course, I'm aware of it. Making history of this sport is always a big motivational factor for me. It's a great pleasure and honor to be in that position. So it does motivate me and inspire me to play even better tennis"
While the former World No. 1 has his focus on the record, he has made it clear that it will not make him change his approach at the event in any manner.
"I mean, doesn't maybe necessarily affect the whole approach to the specific match because I'm experienced enough and I know myself well and what I need to do in order to prepare for my next challenge and next opponent," he asserted.