Srdjan Djokovic

Srdjan Djokovic (Serbian Cyrillic: Срђан Ђоковић, romanized: Srđan Đoković; born 25 April 1961)[1][2] is a Serbian entrepreneur and former professional skier and skiing coach. He is best known as the father of tennis players Novak, Djordje, and Marko Djokovic. Supporting and following his son Novak worldwide, he gained notoriety for several missteps and strong statements in Novak's favor.

In this Serbian name, the surname is Đoković.
Srdjan Djokovic
Срђан Ђоковић
Srdjan and with his wife Dijana at the 2007 US Open.
Born (1961-04-25) 25 April 1961
Kosovska Mitrovica, Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, former skier and ski instructor
ChildrenSons Novak, Marko, Djordje

Early life and education
Robert DeNiro (left) and Srdjan Djokovic (right) at the 2007 US Open

Djokovic was born in Kosovska Mitrovica to parents Stanka and Vladimir, and grew up in the nearby town of Zvečan.[2][3] He has a sister, Jelena, and a younger brother, Goran.[2] After completing high school, he moved to Belgrade to study law, but did not finish the studies. Later on, the whole family moved to Belgrade.[4] During winters, he worked as a ski coach in the winter resorts of Kopaonik and Brezovica, where he met his future wife Dijana in 1986.[2]

Career

Djokovic is a former professional skier[5] and ski coach,[6] who worked in the Kopaonik ski resort.[4] He is currently the owner-operator of the Red Bull pizza restaurant[4] and a sports shop in the Serbian mountains.[6] He opened the restaurant, which has no connection to the drinks company with the same name, in 1999.[4] While some accounts describe Djokovic as a former player at the Serbian football club FK Trepča, the 2022 book Ein Leben lang im Krieg (English: A lifetime at war) by Daniel Müksch reports a lack of supporting evidence of this.[4]

In 2011, Djokovic attempted to unseat Serbia Tennis Federation president Slobodan Živojinović, but ultimately failed to do so.[7] In January 2023, he was seen during the Australian Open tennis tournament near the Rod Laver Arena[8] with a pro-Vladimir Putin motorcycle gang called the Night Wolves.[9][5] Vasyl Myroshnychenko, the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia, called for Djokovic to be banned from the subsequent tennis match in the competition.[10] Djokovic subsequently stated that he would not attend the January 27 semi-final to avoid disrupting it.[11] Srdjan Djokovic later stated that he did not intend to post with the pro-Russian gangsters and mistakenly thought he was posing for photos with Serbian tennis fans.[12]

Family life
Djokovic's son Novak in Wimbledon, 2019.

Djokovic is married to Dijana Djokovic[5] (née Žagar). They are the parents of three sons: Novak[5][13] (born 1987), Marko[14] (born 1991), and Djordje (born 1995).[4] In 2022, Djokovic criticised the Government of Australia for not letting his eldest son, Novak, enter the country due to COVID-19 public health rules.[15] On 6 January, the eve of Orthodox Christmas day, Djokovic compared his son's detention in Australia to the Crucifixion of Jesus.[16]

See also

References
  1. Marić, Mario (April 25, 2021). "Otac najboljeg srpskog sportiste na svetu slavi jubilarni 60. rođendan". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  2. Trošelj, Slavko (December 25, 2010). "Đorđe je Novak na kvadrat". Politika Online (in Serbian).
  3. Wilbon, Stout 2012, pp. 304.
  4. Müksch, D. (2022). Novak Djokovic: Ein Leben lang im Krieg (in German). Die Werkstatt. ISBN 9783730706046.
  5. McElwee, Molly (2023-01-26). "Who is Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan and what are the pro-Putin 'Night Wolves'?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  6. Mathew, Melvin (2022-07-11). "How Novak Djokovic's Parents Shaped His Legendary Tennis Career?". Sportsmanor. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  7. Schurman, Kyle (2011-10-06). Novak Djokovic Bio: A Perfect Season?. Hyperink Inc. ISBN 978-1-61464-546-7.
  8. Nabbi, Zayn (2023-01-26). "Novak Djokovic's father poses with fan wearing pro-Russia 'Z' symbol". CNN. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  9. "Djokovic's father filmed with Putin supporters". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  10. Briggs, Simon (2023-01-26). "Novak Djokovic's father facing Australian Open ban calls after pro-Putin video". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  11. "Novak Djokovic's dad stays away from Australian Open semifinal". CTVNews. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  12. "Novak Djokovic defends father after video with Vladimir Putin supporters". The Independent. 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  13. "Novak Djokovic's father seen posing with Putin supporters carrying Russian flags at Australian Open". CBC. 26 Jan 2023.
  14. Biographies, Belmont and Belcourt (August 2012). Novak Djokovic: An Unauthorized Biography. Price World Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61984-179-6.
  15. "'Muhammad Ali was vilified too': Serbians blast Australian government over Djokovic's deportation". ABC News. 2022-01-16. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  16. "Novak Djokovic 'lured to Australia to be humiliated', says Serbia". Guardian News. 2022-01-06.

Sources
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