The Serbian Tennis Federation is looking towards a new era, with the country’s star tennis player Novak Djokovic’s uncle, Goran Djokovic, being appointed as the new chief of the federation.
Other than being Novak’s uncle, Goran’s tennis connection comes from his experience of serving as the vice president of the federation earlier. Due to his previous involvement in the day-to-day functioning of the federation, he will have the much-needed support in this new role. He also served as the director of two ATP tournaments – Serbia Open and Sofia Open, for almost 7 years.
In his post-election address, Goran was confident that he would focus on improvement while keeping the financial constraints in mind. He also added that his goal is to establish a National Training Centre in the country and he will be taking essential measures for the same now that he has the power.
“My goal is to keep improving what we’ve started, with finances being the key. We don’t have our own facilities, we don’t have a National Training Centre, and I want to resolve that. I wouldn’t have even run for this position if we didn’t have the full support of the president of Serbia,” said Goran after assuming the role of STF president.
Many times, Goran is misinterpreted as Novak’s father due to his presence in the mainstream media. Even a Novak fan page got his name wrong while sharing the news of his appointment and wrote the name of Djokovic’s father – Srdjan Djokovic. The mistake couldn’t evade fans’ eyes who pointed it out in the comments, making the page claim their error in reply to their tweet.
BREAKING: Srdjan Djoković, Novak Djoković’s uncle is the new president of Teniski Savez Srbije (Serbian Tennis Association)
Hopefully, some real changes led by Novak and his uncle began to happen otherwise Serbian tennis is doomed. #NoleFam | @TSSRBIJE pic.twitter.com/Xy5Kn12o0m
— Novak Weekly Podcast (@NovakWeekly) September 20, 2024
It’s no secret that the Serbian Tennis Federation has been facing some issues for quite some time. Even the 24-time grand slam champion believes that his country is ‘miles behind’ America.
“I mean tennis is popular, but because we have a lack of system, and of course the economics and organization, we have to improve on that. Not just in my country, but overall, we have to make sure we get closer to all the American sports,” Djokovic had said in a conversation with Jeffrey Katzenberg earlier this year.
“For example, I was at UCLA yesterday. It’s amazing, the football team there, the conditions, the facilities, the basketball team. The tennis team is doing well as well, don’t get me wrong, but I think you know we are still, you know, miles behind,” he added while speaking about the state of tennis on ground level in Serbia.
With Goran’s appointment, fans in Serbia hope that this development will mark a turning point in the country’s tennis history. But first, it’s necessary to learn a little bit about the head of Serbian tennis.
Who Is Goran Djokovic?
Goran, just like his brother and Novak’s father Srdjan, is a professional skier and has played a major role in building up Novak’s future in tennis. Brought up in a war-prone Serbia, the tennis legend wouldn’t be where he is today if he didn’t have the support of his family.
Other than tennis, Goran is a successful entrepreneur and has started a few businesses of his own, the latest one being a wine brand – The Djokovic Wine, which he started in 2022. The branding on the bottles also paid homage to their country Serbia, which even Novak does not miss a chance to promote.
It’s safe to say that the spirit to fight back and aim for the stars runs deep in the Djokovic family, something which the tennis legend also inherited.
