Djokovic is ready to help his son follow in his footsteps


LONDON: Novak Djokovic said he will do everything to support his son Stefan if he decides to follow in his footsteps, but the Serb wants to make sure the seven-year-old doesn’t feel pressured into pursuing a tennis career.

Footage of the 20-time Grand Slam winner training with his son circulated on social media earlier this week, and Djokovic also posted side-by-side pictures on Twitter of them hitting a forehand, with the caption “so cool to do that.” see”.

In May, Djokovic said his son won his first tournament on the same day he won the Italian Open, describing their success as a “sunshine double”.

“I’m trying to use every available opportunity… to play with him because he’s totally immersed in tennis right now,” Djokovic told reporters after his win over Tim van Rijthoven at Wimbledon on Sunday.

“Everything about tennis, how he can play, he watches, he analyzes. I will support him in any way I can to become a professional tennis player… if he really wants to.

“But it’s too early to talk about it, to be honest. He’s not even eight years old. It’s important to me that as a father and son we have a relationship… before anything else, and that he enjoys life.”

Djokovic also said it was important for his son to be exposed to a variety of sports.

“I think it’s very important, especially at this young age, to have a lot of inspiration for the kids from different perspectives and different sports and different movements, different activities,” Djokovic said.

Six-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic meets tenth-placed Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.