“I feel at home,” said Novak Djokovic, the world’s best tennis player in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He is participating in the “Serbian Open” tennis tournament, which takes place from April 17 to 23 in Banja Luka.
According to him, it is a great feeling to be in Banja Luka, where he has already been several times, the last time in 2009 when he played an exhibition match with Viktor Troicki.
After the failure at the tournament in Monte Carlo, Djokovic said he turned over a new leaf.
“I am very pleased to be back in Banja Luka, this time professionally for the first time, as a participant in the ‘Serbian Open’ tournament. The good thing in professional tennis is that every Sunday you have a new opportunity to prove yourself, a new opportunity to take a step further,” he said. is.
He added that he was not satisfied with the result in Monte Carlo. Upon his arrival in Banjaluka, he received a lot of support and emotions from the people who welcomed him. He emphasized that he had hoped to experience this kind of support, but it exceeded his expectations.
“For us, professional athletes from Serbia, this is probably one of the best places in the world where we can compete, play, at least when it comes to support and a sense of belonging,” he said.
He emphasized that he has never played a tournament in Banja Luka, so this will be a unique, new experience, which he always wanted.
“We don’t know what the future holds. I will try to enjoy myself as much as I can and every match I have this Sunday will be a gift in a way for me and for the people who will come to watch me. In that context, this Sunday is special and my the approach will be different. Of course, I want to win every match I participate in, but I want to enjoy all the moments off the field as well,” he said.
Speaking about future steps, he emphasized that his thoughts and attention are focused on Banja Luka, while regarding his health, he said that his elbow is not in ideal condition, but that it is good enough.
When asked who is his biggest obstacle in this tournament, he answered “tennis player from Serbia, Novak Djokovic”.
“He was always my biggest obstacle at the beginning of my career, and especially now. If I overcome him, it’s always my biggest fight, then I can beat anyone else. With all due respect to every opponent, the biggest fight is always the internal fight,” he said. he.
He also pointed out that he would like to play in Sarajevo, as well as that he regrets that the previously planned match with Damir Džumhur, who was supposed to play in that city, did not take place.
He pointed out that he is not sure whether he will play the first match on Wednesday or Thursday, and that he has never played with the opponent he is supposed to play.
“I’ve never met this guy before. I don’t know much about him, I know he’s young. I thought Wawrinka would win today. I’ve seen how he plays, he’s a fighter, he doesn’t have many weaknesses for this surface, for these conditions” , he said and added that he hopes for the best and that a lot of people will come.
Djokovic arrived in Banja Luka last night, where he was greeted by numerous fans in front of the airport and hotel. Today he finished his first training session at the tennis complex, where he was also met by fans to get his autograph and take photos with him.
“Serbian Open 2023” is an ATP tournament from the 250 series, which this year is being held in Banja Luka after two consecutive years of being held in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
