‘It Was a Great Great Deal’- Novak Djokovic Once Explained Why He Turned Down British Nationality

Over the years, Novak Djokovic has proven why he deserves to be called one of the best players in the sport. Dominating the tour over the past decade, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has added numerous titles to his name. In all his success, what often goes unnoticed is that with his performance, he has also been the flag bearer of sports in Serbia. However, things would have been slightly different if Djokovic had accepted an offer he received during his younger years.

Going back in time, to 2020, Djokovic admitted that he was offered British nationality during his childhood. An offer that would have made Djokovic the face of the British sporting world. However, not only did the Serb deny the offer but also made sure to have no regrets about it. During an interview, he gave a detailed account of how things unfolded and why he rejected the offer.

Novak Djokovic explains the time he was offered the British nationality

Over the past decade, Djokovic has clearly been ruling the tennis court. However, his love for winning isn’t a newfound one. The 35-year-old has had the knack for winning since his childhood days. Recalling his childhood days, Djokovic started, “I was doing really well in international tournaments under-12 and under-14. So, I got spotted by tennis agents traveling around in these junior events.”

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Going ahead in the conversation, he opened up about being offered a British nationality. He said, “Then we got offered to switch the nationalities to British nationality when I was 14 years old.”

Those who follow Djokovic are well versed about his family’s financial condition during his childhood days. Going further into the conversation, he opened up about how the offer would have made his family’s life. “It was very tempting at that time for my parents. My parents would get a job, my family would have a house. It was a great great deal,” he admitted with a smile.

He concluded the topic by giving his reasoning for not accepting the offer. He said, “I’m not saying that we would be particularly wrong if we did that. Who knows where the journey would take us.” “But I just think that life has just arranged things and organized things in such way that it had to be that way,” he further added.

Now, 20 years later, it is needless to say that Djokovic probably made the right call. Despite turning down the British nationality, he continues to be the most prominent player on the tour. Do you think being a British national would have made any difference to Djokovic’s career trajectory? Do let us know in the comments below.