Novak Djokovic relinquishes control of Novak Tennis Center, set for expansion of club: Reports

Novak Djokovic is set to give up control of the Novak Tennis Centre in Belgrade, according to a report from the Serbian media.

Less than 24 hours after defeating Cameron Norrie in the fourth round of the Italian Open in straight sets, Novak Djokovic made headlines again, but not for anything he did on the court.

According to the Serbian publication "Sport Klub", Djokovic and his family will give up control of the Novak Tennis Center in Belgrade from June 1 and hand it back to the city.

Everyone who works at the mentioned Tennis Center has already been informed that they won't work there anymore from June 1.

The Novak Tennis Center has been running for the past 15 years with seven ATP and one WTA tournaments being held on the grounds, as well as countless lower category competitions.

Over the years, many players, Novak Djokovic included, have used the Novak Tennis Center as their practice ground, but it is now uncertain what will happen to one of the more popular tennis locations in the Balkans.

This decision may be related to recent comments about a possible expansion from Sinisa Mali, a Serbian government official.

"(I have) heard that Novak Djokovic will build a huge tennis practice center", Sinisa Mali recently stated.

Thus, it is possible that this is the first step in the relocation of the Novak Tennis Center, according to the report.

There's also the possibility of the tennis center remaining in a similar condition to the current one and being renamed "Milan Gale Muskatirovic" as it was called before.

Neither Djokovic nor anyone from his team have commented on the report yet.

Novak Djokovic and his family wanted to hold a 500 series tournament in Belgrade

The Novak Tennis Center was home to the Serbia Open in 2021 and 2022, with the tournament being transferred to Banja Luka in 2023. The shift in location happened as they were preparing to apply for a license to hold a 500 series tournament in the capital of Serbia, according to the tournament director Djordje Djokovic.

Djordje Djokovic, Novak's brother, admitted this year that Serbia Open doesn't have a tournament license for 2024. However, he added that he is tirelessly working on acquiring one. He even mentioned that both Belgrade and Banja Luka might have a tournament license in the coming years in an interview during the Srpska Open.

"My goal is for us to have two licenses and I think we'll be able to do that. Maybe not next year, but I think that would be a great thing for the year after", Djordje Djokovic stated.