Watch: Novak Djokovic spends quality time with aspiring tennis champs in Belgrade
Novak Djokovic was spotted spending quality time with a group of young kids who aspire to become tennis champs one day.
In a video that surfaced on Twitter on Sunday, the Serb was seen in his hometown of Belgrade walking onto a court full of young kids.
“Nole Nole Nole Nole”
Literally plated by children, I can watch it over and over again 😍❤️ https://t.co/toTZKF5y8I
Everyone in attendance applauded as soon as he stepped onto the court and the kids immediately began chanting "Nole, Nole, Nole...," unable to contain their excitement at finally meeting the 21-time Grand Slam champion.
The 35-year-old made the most of his time on the court by giving hugs to all the children in sight and running in circles with the little ones around the court. Eventually, he was heard speaking in Serbian to the kids to lift their spirits and was heartily applauded for it.
Novak Djokovic recently pulled out of the 2022 US Open as his unvaccinated status prevented him from entering America. He took to Twitter on Thursday to make the announcement and assured his fans that he would wait for "an opportunity to compete again" while being in "good shape" and in a "positive spirit."
"Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world," Novak Djokovic wrote.
🏼 See you soon tennis world! 
🏼Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. ❤️ Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. 💪🏼 See you soon tennis world! 👋🏼
"From my personal perspective, it is very sad news" - Rafael Nadal on Novak Djokovic's US Open withdrawal
Rafael Nadal acknowledged that he was genuinely upset to see Djokovic miss out on a trip to New York due to his vaccination status during his pre-tournament press conference.
"Well, in some way we know that Novak will not play for a while if nothing change in terms of the rules, no? We know that since months ago. From my personal perspective, is very sad news," Ndaal said, adding, "It's always a shame when the best players of the world are not able to play a tournament because of injuries or because of different reasons."
Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.
#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwg
The 22-time Grand Slam winner praised his arch rival Novak Djokovic as one of the best players in history and claimed that the absence of the Serb is difficult for all of the players because they want to challenge themselves against the best.
"Not having one of the best players of the history in the draw of Grand Slam is always an important miss, no? As I said, tough for the fans, tough for the tournament," Nadal said. "In my opinion, tough for the players, too, because we want to have the best field possible."