Serbia Davis Cup team captain Viktor Troicki said Novak Djokovic is “the absolute hero” in Serbia and also “the best athlete” their country has ever had.Â
Serbia has had a number of star players and great champions over the last two decades as Troicki credits Djokovic, Nenad Zimonjic, Janko Tipsarevic, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic for helping the game grow in Serbia.Â
Djokovic is a 20-time Grand Slam champion, Ivanovic won one doubles title, Zimonjic won eight Grand Slam titles in doubles, while Jankovic reached one Grand Slam final and four Grand Slam semifinals on four separate occasions.Â
“Tennis is really popular. It’s one of the most popular sports in Serbia. People love to watch it and love to play it,” Troicki told Ubitennis. “They’ve really followed tennis since Novak, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, and also Zimonjic in the doubles, became number one in the world. Novak is absolutely the hero and the best athlete ever of Serbia, so people really love and enjoy tennis.”
Troicki agrees with Nikola PilicÂ
After the Serbia Open final, a special ceremony took place on the court.Â
Djokovic invited everyone who played a key role in helping him become the player he is today.Â
Pilic, the 1973 French Open runner-up, was one of the first coaches to work with Djokovic.Â
While addressing the crowd, Pilic said Djokovic is undoubtedly the greatest player of all time.Â
“I do not know what to say. It is a great honor to be here. One small correction, he is not one of the greatest of all time, he is the greatest of all time. In the competition of Federer, Nadal, Murray and company, 366 weeks to be number one, that is more than seven years,” Pilic said. “In my humble conviction, it may take 1,000 years for that record to be broken.”