From rags to riches! Every time we hear the name, Novak Djokovic, the first thing that comes to our mind is a tennis great who has won 24 Grand Slams. However, to reach the summit of something, one surely has to go through a lot of rough terrain. The journey of the boy from Belgrade wasn’t an exception either! We know that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Mark Hodgkinson, the author of the recently released book, ‘Searching for Novak‘, has seen the man who never gave up on his son’s dream.

As the 37-year-old Serbian tennis star is standing just a step behind creating a historic moment for his nation, let’s take a glimpse at his journey to the top. In an interview with Tennis Majors, Hodgkinson revealed how Djokovic was always dedicated to the sport. He said his father believes 95% of tennis is in Nole’s mind. Witnessing much tougher challenges right from a young age is what perhaps has helped him build a strong mindset.

From staying in bunkers with his family during NATO bombings to seeing his father giving his all to help him pursue his dreams, Djokovic has seen it all. His parents struggled while sending him to a tennis academy in Munich when he was just 12 years old. “It was a huge amount of financial stress on Novak’s parents,” says Mark Hodgkinson. His parents were well aware of his talents from a young age and his father used to tell people in Belgrade that, “my son is going to be the greatest ever.“ Hodgkinson says, “I think at the time people were laughing at Novak’s dad.“

At times, his father, Srdjan, had to borrow money from loan sharks to pay for his coaching, traveling, and tennis equipment. It was overall a very stressful situation for the family. However, Djokovic successfully managed to earn more for his family than what they had lost in their earlier days. Thanks to his parents for not giving up on their son’s dream! How does Djokovic himself look at all these struggles?

“At that time, it was really not about tennis, it was more about us surviving as a family” – Novak Djokovic

Djokovic once revealed that they once had just 10 Deutsche Mark (approximately $10) for an entire family of five to live. He’s grateful to his father, Srdjan, for showing the courage to encourage his son to pursue his tennis career despite having such a small amount in his pocket. These hardships helped him build what he is today, “On the court when I somehow need to find a way and find that strength, that’s the dad in me,” said the Djoker.

Reflecting more on his tough childhood days, Novak said, “At that time, it was really not about tennis, it was more about us surviving as a family and having bread to eat during the day. But somehow my parents found a way and they were a great team.” He said his parents used to try their best to hide their problems from their kids, but then there were things that they just couldn’t hide from him. Djokovic has seen how his mother, Dijana, stood like a pillar for his family during those days.

He hailed her mother as a “superwoman” for tightly knitting their family inside a very small apartment. His journey has surely been very tough, but can he bring smiles to the faces of his family and countrymen with a gold medal on Sunday (August 4) at the Paris Olympics singles event?