Inspiring story of the day: “It made us tougher, it made us more hungry for success” - How Novak Djokovic turned war-torn Belgrade, and family sacrifice into tennis immortality

Novak Djokovic’s path to tennis greatness began far away from the bright lights of Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open. At 12, he was living through the 1999 NATO bombing of Belgrade, sleeping in a basement with his family while air-raid sirens sounded above them. At the same time, his parents, Srdjan and Dijana Djokovic, were struggling to find the money needed for his tennis career. Djokovic has often said those years changed him. The fear, long nights, lack of money and his parents’ sacrifices gave him a strong reason to keep going and succeed.How did Novak Djokovic keep playing tennis during the 1999 Belgrade bombingsIn 1999, Novak Djokovic was still a child, but his life was already very different from that of most young tennis players. NATO carried out an air campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that lasted 78 days. Djokovic and his family spent nights in the basement of his grandfather Vladimir’s apartment building in Belgrade.The family apartment was small, and many relatives stayed there because there was nowhere else to go. When the sirens began, everyone moved downstairs for safety. Djokovic later told CBS News that the bombing made it difficult to stay focused, but he still continued playing tennis.“It’s the fear of the unknown. Not knowing if the next bomb is going to hit your head… We were waking up every single night more or less at two, three a.m. for two and a half months. But it made us tougher. It made us more hungry, more hungry for the success.”The tennis did not stop simply because the city was under attack. Djokovic and his coach Jelena Gencic looked for places where he could train. BBC Sport reported that he trained at different clubs around Belgrade, including Partizan Tennis Club, while people in the city helped him continue practicing.For Djokovic, tennis became something he could still control when almost everything around him felt uncertain. The experience did not make the bombing less frightening, but it gave him a reason to keep moving forward.What did Novak Djokovic’s family do to keep his tennis dream aliveThe war was only one part of the struggle. Money was another major problem.Djokovic’s parents ran a small pizza and pancake business in the Kopaonik mountains. Supporting a young tennis player was expensive, especially in a country facing serious economic problems. His family had to find money for coaching, equipment, travel and other costs linked to his development.Djokovic has spoken about going out early in the morning with his grandfather to find bread for the family. He remembered how many relatives were living together in a small apartment during those difficult years.“I remember standing in line with my grandfather at 5 in the morning to get bread to feed our whole family—my grandfather, my aunt, my uncle, my cousins, my siblings, my parents and I. We all lived together in a small apartment because we had no other choice, and those are the things that became an integral part of my character, of who I am today as a person.”His family also took major financial risks for his tennis. Reports about Djokovic’s childhood have described his father taking loans at high interest to help pay for his development. The family was sometimes left with almost nothing after covering the costs of his training.That struggle became an important part of how Djokovic viewed his career. Tennis was no longer just a sport he enjoyed. His parents were putting their own lives under pressure so that he could chase a future they believed was possible.Why did Novak Djokovic feel responsible for his parents’ sacrificesDjokovic has never separated his success from what his parents went through for him. He has repeatedly spoken about the importance of family and the pressure he felt to make their sacrifices count.He once explained that his family background gave him a strong sense of responsibility:“Serbian history tells that family is the most important thing and you have to stick with the family. My parents went through a lot of hardships, financially, emotionally, every way… To see my parents struggle so much just so I could play tennis, it gave me a responsibility and a drive that never left me.”That feeling stayed with him even after he became one of the biggest names in tennis.The Djokovic family had not started with the money or facilities available to many players at the top level. Novak had to leave Serbia as a young teenager to train at the Niki Pilic Tennis Academy in Germany, another major step in a career that demanded sacrifices from the whole family.The story is also important because Djokovic’s success did not come overnight. He had already spent years dealing with uncertainty before he began winning major titles. By the time he became a Grand Slam champion, he had learned to keep working even when conditions were far from ideal.How did Novak Djokovic’s childhood shape the champion he becameToday, Djokovic’s records are huge. He has won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record 10 Australian Open crowns, and he won Olympic singles gold at the Paris 2024 Games. He also holds the record for most weeks at world No. 1, with 428 weeks. The 2026 US Open ended with a first-round loss to Mariano Navone, but none of those later results changes the story of how his career began.The mental strength seen in Djokovic’s biggest matches can be understood better when his childhood is put into context. He learned very early that fear does not always mean you stop. Sometimes, you still have to wake up, find food, go to practice and keep working.His own words explain what those years meant to him:Novak Djokovic conquered tennis history through sheer willpower, discipline, and grit, but his mental armor was forged in the fire of his childhood. By honoring the sacrifices of his parents and never forgetting where he came from, he proves that true champions are built not in comfort, but through the courage to rise above adversity and fight for the people who believed in you.The quote captures the bigger part of Djokovic’s story. The trophies came much later. Before them were nights in a basement, early-morning bread lines, damaged tennis courts and parents who kept finding a way to support their son.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.