by Chris Bowers
Octagon 1, 2
Olympique Marseille 1
Orange Bowl tournament 1, 2, 3, 4
orthotics 1, 2
Ottoman Empire 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Ouanna, Josselin 1
Paes, Leander 1
Partisans 1, 2
Partizan Belgrade 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and football 1, 2, 3
Pashanski, Boris 1
Peter I, King of Serbia 1
Petkovic, Zoran 1
Petrovic, Dejan 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and Djokovic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Piatti, Riccardo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Pilic, Nikki 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and academy 1, 2, 3
and Djokovic 1, 2, 3
politics 1
Pospisil, Vasek 1
Princip, Gavrilo 1, 2
Prpic, Goran 1
Queen’s Club 1, 2
Querrey, Sam 1
racism 1
rackets 1, 2
Radulescu, Alex 1
Raonic, Milos 1
Red Star Belgrade club 1, 2, 3, 4 and football 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
religion 1, 2, 3; see also Christianity;
Muslims
Ricci Bitti, Francesco 1
Riggs, Bobby 1
Ristic, Jelena 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Robredo, Tommy 1
Rochus, Olivier 1, 2, 3
Rod Laver Arena see Australian Open championship
Roddick, Andy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Roland Garros see French Open championship
Rome Masters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
RTS 1, 2, 3, 4
Rusedski, Greg 1, 2
Russia 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; see also Soviet Union
Safin, Marat 1, 2, 3
Safina, Dinara 1
Sampras, Pete 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Sarajevo 1, 2, 3, 4
Second World War 1, 2, 3, 4
Seles, Monica 1, 2, 3, 4 and Gencic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Serbia 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and business 1, 2, 3, 4
and Croatia 1, 2
and Djokovic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
and football 1, 2
and history 1, 2, 3, 4
and Kosovo 1, 2
and nationalism 1
and racism 1
and reputation 1, 2, 3
and sport 1, 2
and tennis 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
and victim complex 1, 2
and women 1, 2
see also Belgrade
Serbia & Montenegro 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Serbian Olympic Committee 1
Serbian Open championship 1, 2, 3, 4
Serbian Orthodox Church 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Serbian Tennis Federation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and coup 1, 2, 3
and Davis Cup 1, 2
Serbo-Croat war 1, 2, 3, 4
Serve to Win 1, 2
serves 1, 2, 3, 4
SFx 1, 2
Shanghai Masters 1, 2, 3
Sharapova, Maria 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
‘Skolica Zivota’ 1, 2
Skroderis, Janis 1
Slavs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Slovakia 1, 2
Slovenia 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Smeets, Robert 1
smoking 1, 2, 3, 4
South America tournaments 1, 2
Soviet Union (USSR) 1, 2, 3
Spain 1
Spasojevic, Toplica 1, 2, 3
sponsorship 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Sport Klub 1
Sportski Zurnal 1, 2
Srebrenica 1, 2, 3
Stalin, Joseph 1, 2
Stepanek, Radek 1, 2, 3, 4
Stich, Michael 1
Stojamovic, Mladen 1
‘Supporting Families at Risk’ project 1
Switzerland 1
Syria 1, 2
Tacchini, Sergio 1
Tadic, Boris 1, 2, 3
Tennis Australia 1
Tennis Europe Junior Tour 1
Tennis Masters Cup 1, 2
tennis shirts 1
Tesla, Nikola 1
Tigers, the 1
Tijanic, Alexander 1, 2
Tipsarevic, Janko 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and Davis Cup 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
and Federer 1
and US Open 1
and Zimonjic 1, 2, 3
Tito, Jozep Broz 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Tomic, Bernard 1
Torpedo Kutaisi 1
Troicki, Viktor 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and Davis Cup 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
and suspension 1, 2
Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and Australian Open 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Tudjman, Franjo 1, 2, 3, 4
Uefa 1, 2, 3
Ukraine 1, 2
Under-14 European Individual Championships 1
Unicef 1, 2, 3, 4
Uniqlo 1, 2, 3
United Nations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
United States of America 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
US Open championship 1, 2 2007 1
2008 1
2010 1
2011 1
2012 1
2013 1, 2
USSR see Soviet Union
Ustase government 1, 2, 3, 4
Vajda, Marian 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and Martin 1, 2, 3, 4
and travelling 1, 2, 3
Velickovic, Vojin 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Vemic, Dusan 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and war 1, 2
Vieira, Patrick 1, 2, 3
Visegrad 1, 2
Viskovic, Nebojsa 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
visualisation 1
Vliegen, Kristof 1
volleyball 1, 2, 3, 4
Vukovar 1, 2, 3, 4
Wang, Jimmy 1
war 1, 2, 3; see also First World War;
Nato bombings;
Second World War;
Yugoslavia
war crimes 1, 2, 3, 4; see also ethnic cleansing;
genocide
Wawrinka, Stanislas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and Australian Open 1, 2, 3
Williams, Richard 1
Williams, Serena 1, 2, 3
Wilson, Jonathan 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Wimbledon 1, 2 2005 1, 2, 3
2007 1, 2, 3
2009 1, 2
2010 1, 2
2011 1, 2, 3
2012 1, 2, 3
2013 1, 2
women 1, 2, 3
Women’s Tennis Association 1
Woodbridge, Todd 1
Woodforde, Mark 1, 2, 3, 4
YouTube 1, 2
Yugoslav Tennis Association 1, 2
Yugoslavia 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and football 1, 2, 3
former 1, 2, 3
and wars 1, 2, 3
Zaric, Dragana 1
Zimonjic, Nenad 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and Australian Open 1, 2
and Croatia 1
and Davis Cup 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
and Djokovic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
and nationality 1
and ranking 1
and Serbia 1
Zivojinovic, Slobodan 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and coup 1, 2, 3
About the Author
Chris Bowers is a freelance writer and broadcaster who has covered the global tennis scene for more than 20 years. He is best known as a commentator for the European sports television channel Eurosport but also appears on the American sports channel ESPN and various radio stations around the world. He has written several books on tennis, notably the first English-language biography of Roger Federer, and also The Book of Tennis, the International Tennis Federation’s centenary commemorative book A Century of Contribution, and four Davis Cup yearbooks. He is also active in environmental and political fields, and in 2011 wrote the biography of Nick Clegg, the leader of the British Liberal Democrats and deputy prime minister. He is the son of a refugee and lives with his daughter in East Sussex, England.
Novak Djokovic at six – he was always one of the smaller boys. This and the next photograph are stills from Jelena Gencic’s videos.
The young Djokovic and Jelena Gencic were a perfect match, and she coached him as much in life skills
as in tennis.
The European 14 and Under doubles, San Remo, 2001. Djokovic and his tall friend Bozan Bozovic won; in third place (right) sporting a blond rinse is Andy Murray.
(© Jonathan Jobson/Tennis Europe)
Djokovic brings the 2011 Wimbledon trophy to Jelena Gencic’s home; a still from a Serbian TV programme in the Agape series, Novak Djokovic i Jelena Gencic.
(©Studio B, Belgrade)
Djokovic had always admired Gencic’s trophy collection, so enjoyed adding his Wimbledon trophy to it on the same visit. She died 18 months later aged 76.
(©Studio B, Belgrade)
When he was seven, Djokovic insisted on buying Gencic a birthday present: this painting, which he found in a market. She displayed it proudly in her house.
(© Chris Bowers)
Djokovic was given his Davis Cup debut by Nenad Zimonjic (right) and has always been proud to wear his red Serbia shirt.
(© MN Press)
With his friend and fellow Serbian tennis star, Ana Ivanovic, whom he first met when they were both four.
(© MN Press)
Administering a head massage in a charity exhibition match to Serbia’s other top female tennis star, Jelena Jankovic.
(© MN Press)
Vladimir Djokovic, Novak’s much loved and admired ‘Grandfather Vlada’, who was almost a third parent at times.
(© MN Press)
From left to right: Dijana, Djordje and Srdjan Djokovic, Novak’s parents and brother, arrive at the memorial service for Jelena Gencic in 2013.
(© MN Press)
Bogdan Obradovic and Marian Vajda, two coaching figures who have played a big part in Djokovic’s career, pictured during Serbia’s Davis Cup glory year of 2010.
(© MN Press)
Miljan Amanovic, Djokovic’s Croatian-born, ultra-professional physiotherapist, who plays a vital role given the importance of fitness in Djokovic’s game.
(© MN Press)
Novak’s long-time girlfriend and now fiancée, Jelena Ristic, waves the Serbian flag during one of the country’s Davis Cup matches against the USA in March 2010.
(© MN Press)
Djokovic in glasses – many fans don’t know that he wears them.
(© MN Press)
Djokovic, oblivious to the fact that he has been ‘crowned’ by the flag behind him, after winning in Miami just a few days short of his 20th birthday, the title that launched the mania back home.
(© MN Press)
At UN headquarters in New York with Vuk Jeremic (centre), President of the UN General Assembly, and Jacques Rogge (left), outgoing President of the International Olympic Committee, August 2013.
(© Niu Xiaolei/Landov/PA Images)
Djokovic’s first-ever main draw match at a Grand Slam ended in defeat to his idol Marat Safin at the Australian Open, January 2005.
(© AFP/Getty Images)
Posing in Melbourne with the Australian Open trophy after his first major title, January 2008.
(© Getty Images)
Cradling the Wimbledon men’s singles trophy after his victory over Rafael Nadal, July 2011.
(© Getty Images)
The sporting statesman – Novak Djokovic at UN headquarters in New York, with Jelena Ristic, August 2013.
(© Dennis Van Tine/ABACA USA/Empics Entertainment)
Djokovic lets out the animal within after beating Rafael Nadal in the longest final in Grand Slam history at the Australian Open, January 2012.
(Getty Images)
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