Blog · Players · 14 Jul 2026 · 7 min read
Novak Djokovic: The Boy Who Practiced Tennis Between Air-Raid Sirens
At 39, **Novak Djokovic** played the longest quarterfinal in Wimbledon history — five hours and fifteen minutes — and won it. Two days later he lost the semifinal to a man twelve years younger, and the tennis world did what it has done for two decades: wondered, again, if this was the end, while quietly suspecting it wasn't. To understand why Djokovic never accepts an ending, you have to start with a childhood that refused him a normal beginning.
A Pizzeria on a Mountain, and a Coach Who Said 'Golden Child'
Djokovic's tennis education began in the unlikeliest tennis nursery imaginable: Kopaonik, a Serbian mountain resort where his parents ran a pizzeria, across the road from three tennis courts built for tourists. He was four when he started hitting there; he was six when the legendary Serbian coach Jelena Genčić — who had helped develop Monica Seles — watched him and told his parents she was looking at a 'golden child', the greatest talent she'd seen.
There was no tennis federation money, no academy system, no family history in the sport. There was a boy who packed his own bag with the precision of a professional at age six, because he'd read that's what professionals did.
1999: Tennis During the Bombing
When NATO bombed Belgrade in 1999, Djokovic was eleven. His family spent nights in shelters — and in the mornings, he and Genčić kept practicing, choosing courts near sites that had already been hit, on the grim logic that the same place was unlikely to be struck twice. He has said those months removed his fear: after training between air-raid sirens, a break point is just a break point.
That's the biographical key to the most mentally indestructible player in tennis history — the five-set records, the match points saved in Grand Slam finals, the two decades of walking into stadiums where the crowd wanted the other guy, and winning anyway.
The Résumé That Broke the Sport's Scale
The numbers read like typos: 24 Grand Slam singles titles, seven Wimbledons, more weeks at world No. 1 than anyone in history, an Olympic gold in Paris 2024 to complete every honour the sport offers. He has beaten Federer at his best, Nadal at his best, and — as recently as this January in Melbourne — Sinner at his best, in the Australian Open 2026 semifinal, at age 39.
Wimbledon 2026: The Marathon and the Wall
His fortnight this year was the whole career in miniature. The quarterfinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime became the longest in Wimbledon history — 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 across five hours and fifteen minutes — a match won on will as much as tennis. Then came Sinner in the semifinal, and a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 lesson in what fresh legs and a first-strike serve do to even the greatest returner ever.
The question everyone asks — retirement — got its usual answer: none. History suggests betting against him is a hobby for people who enjoy losing money.
FAQs
- How did Novak Djokovic start playing tennis?
- At a mountain resort called Kopaonik, where his parents ran a pizzeria across from tennis courts. Coach Jelena Genčić spotted him at age six and called him a 'golden child' — the greatest talent she had seen.
- Did Djokovic really train during the 1999 bombing?
- Yes. During the NATO bombing of Belgrade, an 11-year-old Djokovic kept practicing daily with Genčić, often near recently-bombed sites on the logic they were unlikely to be hit again. He credits that period with removing his fear of pressure.
- How many Grand Slams has Djokovic won?
- 24 Grand Slam singles titles — the men's all-time record — including seven Wimbledons, plus Olympic singles gold from Paris 2024.
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