Novak Djokovic to receive major honour as Serbia’s president makes big announcement
Serbia’s president has announced that Novak Djokovic will be the focus of a new museum in Belgrade – detailing his greatest accomplishments of his epic career.
Djokovic has long been a national hero back in his home country, widely considered the greatest sportsperson in Serbia’s history.
His Olympic gold medal was widely celebrated across the capital city of Belgrade and beyond on Sunday, with people taking to the streets to celebrate victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Now, in the aftermath of what was Djokovic’s 99th career singles title – and Serbia’s first-ever tennis gold medal – president Aleksander Vucic confirmed plans to dedicate an entire museum in Belgrade to the 37-year-old.
He said: “We had the first discussions about the construction of the Novak Djokovic Museum, which is expected to become another attraction for the city.
“Palma de Mallorca has a museum dedicated to Rafael Nadal. We will strive to showcase what Djokovic has done for our country in accordance with his merits and at the same time attract tourists.”
The Rafa Nadal Museum in Manacor – where the Spaniard is from – features trophies won by the ‘King of Clay’, alongside a gift shop and restaurant.
The new museum celebrating Djokovic’s career looks likely to be similar, though no official plans for what the museum could hold have been confirmed.
However, President Vucic did reveal the plan was to open the museum by 2027 – when Belgrade holds the World Expo.
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There will be plenty to feature in the museum, with the world No 2 having torn through the record books in recent seasons.
Alongside his gold medal, Djokovic holds 24 Grand Slam singles titles – an Open Era record across both the men’s and women’s games.
Djokovic’s 10 Australian Open titles are also unmatched in the Open Era, as are his 428 weeks as world No 1.
But, speaking after Sunday’s triumph, he revealed that his Olympic success – in his fifth Games – was the most meaningful match of his career.
He said: “I thought in 2012, carrying the flag of my country in the opening ceremony was the best feeling an athlete could have – until today.
“This supersedes everything that I imagined and hoped I could experience and feel. The fact I won the bronze in my first Olympic Games and ever since then failed to win a medal despite playing in three semi-finals … I couldn’t overcome that obstacle.
“Now, at age 37 [I was able to beat] a 21-year-old that is probably the best player in the world right now.
“When I take everything into consideration, this is probably the biggest sporting success I’ve had in my career.”
