Djordje Djokovic: "Hope that Roger Federer will play in Belgrade one day"
Djorde Djokovic , the brother of world number one Novak, is practicing these days as the tournament organizer of the ATP 250 event in Belgrade. A tournament with which the Serb has big plans.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Apr 10, 2021, 07:23 am
Almost exactly a year ago, in the Serbian capital Belgrade, the Adria Tour, initiated by the world's number one, wrote a rather inglorious chapter in tennis history. The show event, intended to give hope to people in the dreary times of the global COVID pandemic, developed into a mass spreading event - with positive corona tests, among others by co-organizer Djokovic himself.
In just over a week, the world number one will return to Belgrade, this time to serve at a tranquil ATP 250 event. An event that was organized under the aegis of his little brother Djordje Djokovic. The Serbia Open, which was originally held from 2009 to 2012, is here to stay, emphasizes the Serb.
Belgrade dreams of Federer
The license for the event was received from a friend of the family: "We spoke to him and his team, and Ian Tiriac was interested because we have a long history and our family has a good relationship with him. We have each other agreed in December so that Belgrade would receive a five-year license with the option to buy that license, " the 25-year-old explained on the Wish & Go podcast . "We have big goals and that is to become an ATP 500 event."
This should also attract a number of big names to the Serbian capital in the future - and also lead to an even more attractive field of participants than in 2021, when Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic, among others, will do the honors. Djokovic could imagine one man in particular: "We hope that we will see Federer in Belgrade in the years to come. It is my sincere hope that we can accommodate him at least once before he ends his career. We will him invite next year, I can promise. "
About Djokovic disqualification: "Immediately said: 'This is over'"
In addition to organizing the return event in Belgrade, the 25-year-old ex-professional is an appropriately attentive follower of the events in the tennis circus. And had to watch, among other things, how his big brother Novak was disqualified at the US Open last year. A tough but unavoidable decision, as the Serb underlines.
"I was watching with a friend to whom I immediately said: 'This is over, he will be disqualified,'" said Djordje Djokovic, recalling the fateful moments in late summer last year. The 25-year-old said that if the woman who was hit hadn't fallen onto the pitch, Novak would not have been disqualified. I'm biased, but I think that her reaction was a little exaggerated. "