If Novak Djokovic is surprising on court, he can be even more so off court. As his Serbian colleague Olga Danilovic explained: ‘Whatever you talk about, he knows about it. Sometimes it’s like, ‘How do you know so many things?’
‘The best story of all was Novak speaking Chinese. That was the highlight,’ Danilovic told CLAY.
Danilovic’s amazement at Djokovic’s skills was exposed in early 2024 and became tennis’ first viral video of 2024: Danilovic stared at Djokovic dumbfounded, eyes bulging and face full of shock, after the 24-time Grand Slam champion spoke fluent Chinese at a press conference.
A Chinese journalist asked him to say ‘Happy New Year’ in her language, and Djokovic said ‘Happy New Year. Thank you for your support. I love you China’. He also called the reporter ‘my good friend’.
‘That was something that showed what Novak really is. He always surprises you with something, because he is very open-minded. I had no idea he spoke Chinese. He started talking and you could see my natural and genuine reaction. I looked at the reporter who asked him, and she had the same expression as me. It was unbelievable. An hour later I couldn’t believe what the guy had done,’ he revealed of the episode at the United Cup in Australia.
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‘It was a fantastic experience to spend time with him and play mixed doubles – and win! It’s not easy to play with Novak, because you know you’re playing alongside the best in history and then you want to do better than your best. It was special to be part of the Serbian team. We had a great time,’ the 23-year-old told CLAY
In Asia he will try to win the 100th title of his career.
