Novak Djokovic to host a series of talks in Serbian
World no. 1 Novak Djokovic made an impressive start to the 2020 tennis season, and now he's making a solid start to the break season as well: through social media talks.
The Serb won all six of his singles matches at the inaugural ATP Cup in January. He then beat Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Australian Open en route to lifting a record-extending eighth title there.
Back to World No. 1, the 32-year-old won his fifth title of the year in Dubai to go 18-0 for the year. That marked Novak Djokovic's best start to a season since winning his first 41 matches in 2011.
At the time, the Serb had remarked about his perfect start to the season, and also jokingly talked about his goals for the rest of the year:
"One of the targets is to go unbeaten the whole season. No, I’m kidding. I’m not kidding, actually."
On being pressed about how realistic his aim to remain undefeated all season was, Djokovic cracked a laugh and refused to give a direct answer:
"No, no. Of course I'm trying to embrace the moment and appreciate where I am. I think this has been one of the best starts of all seasons I had in my career. I feel great on the court. I've been playing great tennis on the hard courts. That is my most successful and preferred surface.”
The Serb was on a real tear and looked set to continue his perfect start to the season at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000 tournaments. But the COVID-19 pandemic soon spread its tentacles in USA and swept through Europe, leading to ATP suspending the tour until July.
Novak Djokovic, like all professional tennis players, has been on a forced break ever since. The 17-time Slam champion hasn't played a match since winning his 79th singles title in Dubai.
Novak Djokovic plans to engage more with his Serbian fans
Biding his time at home, Novak Djokovic has been pretty active on social media during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. The 32-year-old Serb recently announced on his Twitter handle that he would be conducting a series of talks in Serbian, on topics ranging from health to sports.
The talks would be hosted on Instagram.
The English translation of Novak Djokovic's Twitter post, which was originally posted in Serbian, reads:
"Hello good people. I am excited to share with you the news that tomorrow at 6 pm we will start a series of talks in Serbian. There will be very interesting interviewees with different topics such as: health, sports..."
Novak Djokovic, along with Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, pioneered the popularity of tennis in Serbia in the late 2000s. The Serb is known for his active contribution to society, especially in his home country.
The Novak Djokovic Foundation, in collaboration with local authorities, trains and empowers teachers by creating self-sustaining schools. These programs in turn help children realise their dreams.
What else has Novak Djokovic been up to during the COVID-19 lockdown?
Djokovic had a video chat with his good friend Andy Murray last week. He also accepted the Scot's '100 volley' challenge, which he successfully completed.
The Serbian star has been having his fair share of fun time on social media during the lockdown, as is evidenced by his recent posts. It would be at least two more months before Novak Djokovic steps on to a tennis court again, but in the meantime his Serbian fans would be able to engage with him on a daily basis - through his Instagram talks.