Novak Djokovic has been financially supporting one tennis star who does not currently hold a winning record on the ATP tour.
Novak Djokovic has been paying the bills of up-and-coming Serbian professional Hamad Medjedovic but the 20-year-old has lost more matches on the tour than he has won, despite claiming victory at the Mallorca Challenger in September. Madjedovic has spent two years on the tour as he looks to emulate his compatriot’s career, but still has a long way to join him at the top of the sport.
“Novak Djokovic’s been helping me out financially,” Medjedovic previously explained. “Giving me whatever I need for my career. He covered it all. He just helped me out when I needed it and [is] still helping me out in all types of ways. I’m glad he’s there for me.”
Djokovic has frequently looked to help budding Serbian tennis stars, having opened up the Novak Tennis Center in Belgrade 15 years ago and has also been a source of support to Medjedovic, calling the youngster after his Mallorca win.
Hamad Medjedovic in action at Wimbledon. (Image: Getty)
“Would you believe who was the first to congratulate me on my title – Novak,” Medjedovic said. “When I picked up my phone, I saw his voice message lasting more than one minute. He is a legend because he is always available for advice.”
Djokovic even spoke at length during his Wimbledon run about the young Serbian starlet, stating: “It was phenomenal – winning his first Challenger title coming from qualies is a huge result and I congratulated him. His jump in the rankings will mean a lot for the future. I have a lot of friends who are sort of stuck in that second tier of tennis – between Futures and 250s – it is hard to break through, but Hamad is now close to playing qualifiers for Grand Slam tournaments.”
