Rising star Hamad Medjedovic’s budding career is off to a great start. The young player has already awed tennis fans and experts alike with his skills. While Hamad still has a long road ahead of him, he owes much of his success to Novak Djokovic.
Medjedovic announced his arrival with a thumping victory over Arthur Fils in the summit clash of the Next Gen ATP Finals. Djokovic was among the first to congratulate the young boy. The two of them have a history together, and young Hamad is reaping the rewards of being under Novak’s tutelage.
In an old interview, Hamad’s father revealed how Djokovic stepped in to help his son. This was back in 2021, when young Medjedovic was still an amateur. Eldin Medjedovic, Hamad’s father, added that the world number one helped his son in every way possible.
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“Novak told me: ‘Edo, I don’t do this for money! I have a place where I earn money. Simply, my role and my task is to help. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t help children who deserve it, who love tennis, still getting results, help?’” said Eldin (via Sportal).
Djokovic covered all the expenses, including travel costs, coaches, physiotherapists, etc. The 24-time Grand Slam champion also made sure that Hamad was comfortable when they trained together. With this, Novak established that, besides being a great athlete, he is also benevolent.
Hamad trained hard under the watchful eyes of Viktor Troicki at Djokovic’s academy. And today, he is reaping the rewards of Novak’s benevolence. Training with Novak was a surreal experience for Medjedovic, but in the end, he gained a mentor and a friend.
Hamad Medjedovic recalls training with Novak Djokovic
The Next Gen ATP Finals winner trained at Novak’s academy in Belgrade. His efforts have paid off in Jeddah this week, as he won the biggest title of his young career. Hamad has been slowly making his way up the ranks and collecting titles. So far, he has won four ATP Challenger Tour titles. When he won his first one in Ludenscheid, Germany, Novak sent him a congratulatory message.
Hamad recalled what it was like for him to train under Djokovic. He grew up watching Novak play, so getting the chance to train with him was unreal.
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“Yeah, many times I thought I was dreaming. You know, many times I had to [pinch myself] to make sure that I’m not dreaming. He’s the guy who I watched since I was a little kid. And I mean, to share the court with him, to practice with him it’s for sure… I mean I cannot express it with words,” said Hamad.
These are exciting times for Hamad Medjedovic, but he still has a long way to go. As for Novak Djokovic, he had one of the best seasons of his career, and he is hungry for more.
