Stefanos Tsitsipas' mom: Novak Djokovic had difficult childhood, Roger Federer didn't

Yesterday at 06:35 PM

Yulia Apostoli is giving massive credit to Novak Djokovic for succeeding in tennis as Stefanos Tsitsipas' mother highlights the Serb's background was as tough and challenging as it gets, unlike Roger Federer's "happy" childhood in Switzerland. 

Today, the 37-year-old holds two of the biggest records in tennis - he is an all-time Grand Slam recorder with 24 titles in that category and he is also the only player in history with over 400 weeks spent at the world No. 1 spot. After trailing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for years in the Slam race, the Serbian tennis star ultimately won the battle and ensured that he would be one finishing with the greatest records.

However, in recent years, Djokovic several times mentioned that he was a winner long ago. When he was just 11, the NATO bombings against Yugoslavia in 1999 started. And in some of his interviews that came in recent years, the world No. 7 admitted that he was still traumatized by what happened during those times as he "heard the bombs and alarms go off," as well as "saw dead people." For the 2024 Paris Olympics champion, experiencing that - surviving - and making a name for himself was already major success. 

Now, Tsitsipas' mother - who is a Russian-born Greek - offered her perspective on why she feels Djokovic's accomplishments should be credited even more. 

“Djokovic made it on his own. No public relations. In other words, he got into tennis when Federer and Nadal were at the highest level. They were already the fathers of tennis. And Djokovic wasn’t a name, but over time, as time has shown, he proved that anything is possible. Those who condemn him will need time to reassess that," Apostoli said during a conversation for Mr Tennis YouTube Channel. 

“I’ve had a life on several levels. I lived in Belgrade for a while, so I speak Serbo-Croatian. By the way, Djokovic, although they write about him that he’s Serbian, in fact he’s Bosnian by birth. But he chose one of those nationalities who lived in Yugoslavia. He had a very difficult childhood. That can be explained. He had to hide in an air-raid shelter as a child. Federer grew up in a happy country: Switzerland. That’s also worth bearing in mind. He hasn’t experienced those moments when you have to risk something to achieve something else.”

The 1990s were a very critical and dramatic period in the entire area of former Yugoslavia, with multiple wars happening at the same time. For a kid growing up there, it was all but a good situation.

In a recent interview with La Nacion, Djokovic said his country "suffered a lot" but also mentioned neighboring countries Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. 

"Serbia is a very old nation. First of all, we have to clarify that, because we have a very rich history and tradition. But in recent history, the last hundred years—World War I, World War II and especially now, in the last 30 years–we suffered a lot, not only us, but also Croatia and Bosnia," the record 24-time Grand Slam champion said. 

At the time, it was all about surviving. And Djokovic said that it made him the person he is today.

"I remember standing in line with my grandfather at 5 in the morning to get bread to feed our whole family—my grandfather, my aunt, my uncle, my cousins, my siblings, my parents and I. We all lived together in a small apartment because we had no other choice and those are the things that became an integral part of my character, of who I am today as a person," the 37-year-old recalled. 

As they say, there are no winners in wars because it leaves everyone traumatized. And Djokovic was just a kid when bombs were falling exploding near him.

“It’s the fear of the unknown. Not knowing if the next bomb is going to hit your head. And so it was every day, the alarms, the sirens that woke us up every night when the planes were approaching. When I see these wars and everything that is happening… I lived through the war, my city was bombed day and night for two and a half months," the Serb noted in the same interview.

Meanwhile, the 37-year-old didn't win any Slams this year but he won his first Olympic gold medal and accomplished his biggest goal for 2024.

For the 2025 season, Djokovic's goal will be to try to win his 25th Grand Slam and become the first player in tennis history to achieve that feat.