Tennis: Medjedovic on his mentor Novak Djokovic: “He’s the most disciplined individual I’ve ever met”
The trait Hamad Medjedovic admires most about Novak Djokovic, whom he has previously referred to as his mentor, is his commitment to improving his tennis game.
Medjedovic, a former junior World No. 9, is seen as a player who might take the helm in Serbia’s tennis future. He holds Djokovic near to his heart, much like many other tennis players who have come out of the nation in the past ten years or so.
Medjedovic, who was born in a border town before moving to Belgrade when he was nine, tells the story. “Serbia is a small country,” he said.
“You can hear… I was good at the junior (level). He (Djokovic) probably heard about me and I had a good win at the French Open against the first seed (Medjedovic beat then junior World No 1 Harold Mayot in the boys singles at Roland Garros in 2020) and that is when he texted me. I said thanks. Then, he called me to practice. After that, he wanted me to stay at his centre and that is how everything started.”
Djokovic’s entire day is dedicated to the game.
The 22-time Major winner also attended to his financial requirements.
“He helped me a lot, including financial. He helped me in every possible way. You know he’s always there, giving me a lot of advice. He doesn’t tell me about what goals I should set or what rank I should have six months down the line. He wants me to improve my physical and mental game, he tells me I should be more focused on this than the rankings.”
“You can learn so many things from Novak,” he said.
“He’s the most disciplined guy I have ever met and it is something I admire. Everything he does, sleeping, eating… anything that adds to his game. His full day is dedicated to the game.”
You get immune to the presence of other greats when you spend so much time with someone like Djokovic. Bjorn Borg was at the court on Tuesday to see his son play. The Serb was unaffected. “I didn’t have any problems with Borg,” says Medjedovic.
“I have got used to some players watching me, especially Novak. I have the biggest problems (chuckles) when he is watching me. After him, everything else comes easy.”
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