Djokovic amazes one young fan with impromptu tennis lesson
One young fan couldn’t believe his luck when the world No 1 stopped in the street to give him a quick tennis lesson.
Novak Djokovic surprised some young fans in his native Serbia this weekend – by giving a free tennis lesson in the street.
Walking his dog in his home city of Belgrade, a group of small children stopped the 33-year-old, who was happy to have a chat, shaking hands with one young man clutching a racket.
Incredibly, he then went on to offer some advice on the youngster’s forehand – getting him to demonstrate his shot and his stance, and giving some quick adjustments.
Not often you see the #1 tennis player in the world giving lessons to kids in the neighborhood while out walking his dog in Belgrade! @DjokerNole is an absolute class act on and off the court! 🙏🏽🎾🇷🇸 @atptour @novakfoundation #humanity pic.twitter.com/UYY5boOZ1J
— Adam Tatalovich (@AdamTatalovich) October 17, 2020
‘Everyday’
The incident was brought to the world’s attention by Twitter user Adam Tatalovich, whose biography describes him as a basketball coach and scout based in Belgrade.
But his compatriots say that it isn’t out of the ordinary for the world No 1. Observers told TennisMajors.com that Djokovic is an “everyday guy” and a “genuine homeboy”.
And certainly he has been very generous with his time when it comes to young fans in the past – playing a game of street tennis with a group of kids not long after winning the Australian Open earlier this year.
Novak Djokovic stopped to play a game of street tennis with some local kids in Belgrade… 🎾🔥 pic.twitter.com/1iDkBcAD4t
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) February 20, 2020
Djokovic is apparently back in Belgrade following his defeat in the Roland-Garros final last weekend at the hands of old rival Rafael Nadal, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5. Serbian media are reporting that he is likely to play in the upcoming ATP event in Vienna, which starts next week, but may yet skip the Paris Masters.
He has already qualified for the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals, which are scheduled to take place at London’s O2 Arena from Saturday, November 15. The event will take place behind closed doors with no fans in attendance due to the current rules in the United Kingdom restricting attendance at elite sporting events during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.