"My father was borrowing money from criminals" - Novak Djokovic gets emotional, revealing extreme lengths his family went to support his tennis career

Novak Djokovic made a startling revelation regarding his formative years in the midst of the turmoil that gripped Serbia in the 1990s. Having chosen to play tennis at a time when the Serbian tennis federation had no money to support his development and banks in the country were not lending, his father had to borrow money from criminals.

Serbia, a former Yugoslav republic, was sanctioned by the US, UN and EU in the 1990s, leading to significant inflation and shortages of essential goods and services. Djokovic witnessed a horrifying experience growing up due to NATO's bombing of Serbia, then Yugoslavia, in 1999.

During a chat show with British-Indian author and podcaster Jay Shetty, the former World No. 1 described the extreme lengths his father, Srdjan Djokovic, went to support his tennis career.

"The tennis federation did not have money to support me, so my father had to go and beg, and he was also borrowing money from, unfortunately, even some criminals at the time during the nineties," Djokovic said. (27:25)

An emotional Djokovic affirmed that he was "indebted" to his father for allowing him to live his dream while taking an enormous amount of stress.

"Stuff that my father went through to not only survive himself but to allow all of us to live and protect us and to allow me to live my dream and play the most expensive sport at the time in my country is something that makes me eternally indebted," he observed. (29:02)

As the eldest son in the family, Novak Djokovic was confronted with the harsh reality of having to succeed despite the odds while still a teenager.

Novak Djokovic shares most "impactful moment" of his upbringing

Novak Djokovic in action at the 2025 US Open - Source: Getty

Delving deep into the struggles that his family underwent at the time, the 24-time Grand Slam champion recalled that one of the most impactful moments in his life was when his father declared that he had just 10 Deutsche Marks for a family of five.

"One of the most impactful moments of my upbringing and my childhood is when he (my father) brought 10 Deutsche Marks (and I have said this story many times), which was the equivalent of 10 Dollars and he said this is all we got for our family of five," Novak Djokovic said on the same podcast. (25:35)

Djokovic, who began playing tennis at the age of four, won his first Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open. In search of an elusive 25th Grand Slam title, Novak Djokovic is through to the second round of the 2025 US Open, where he will face Zachary Svajda of the United States on Wednesday, August 27. The World No. 7 got past Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the opening round.

Djokovic last won the US Open back in 2023 when he got the better of Daniil Medvedev in the title round.