Novak Djokovic’s violin celebration explained as he opens up about ‘jamming’ with daughter Tara and son Stefan

Shahida Jacobs
Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning
Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his match

Novak Djokovic is forming his own “little band” with his daughter Tara and son Stefan as he admits they inspired him to victory at last year’s US Open and he hopes they will do the same at Wimbledon this year.

The tennis great has beaten Vit Kopriva, Jacob Fearnley, Alexei Popyrin, Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti en route to reaching a 10th Wimbledon final and he will face Carlos Alcaraz for the 2024 title on Sunday.

After each of those wins, Djokovic celebrated by using his racket as a violin, pulling it up to his chin to play the “instrument”.

And it is his six-year-old daughter Tara who is the reason for the violin-inspired celebration as he revealed during a post-match interview: “That was for Tara. My daughter has been playing violin for some time already, six months, and we agreed that I would celebrate that way.”

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In an interview with Vogue Adria, the former world No 1 revealed he is starting his own band along with Tara and eight-year-old Stefan with each playing a different instrument.

The Djokovic “band” were key to helping win a record-extending 24th Grand Slam at the US Open in September last year.

“Tara plays the violin, Stefan loves to play the guitar, and I play the saxophone,” he explained. “Sometimes our jams last for hours, and it’s my favourite part of the day or trip.

“Yes, I admit – we take our instruments on trips. Maybe my little band was responsible for my victory at the US Open and the twenty-fourth Grand Slam I won.”

But it is not only Tara and Stefan who have inspired him as Djokovic told Serbian media that he is delighted to have his own unique celebration and follow in the footsteps of athlete Usain Bolt, footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Jude Bellingham, and former tennis players Andre Agassi, Gustavo Kuerten and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“Bolt! Ronaldo and that ‘sui’, I also like Agassi’s waving with a kiss when he bows,” he said. “Guga [Kuerten] at Roland Garros with heart, Tsonga had that interesting football one, there are interesting ones, Bellingham it simply spreads its arms, [Carlos] Alcaraz did that, I did that at Roland Garros.

“It’s interesting and fun that we can take it from other sports, combine sports, it travels quickly through networks.

“Everyone has their own thing, I changed it, it depends on the moment and feelings, now I have a violin.

“[Radek] Štepanek was the first to do that, I was joking with him, he had that celebration, we even remembered when I played against him at the US Open in 2007 in five sets in some great heat.

“It was some crazy point, then he did it, then I responded to him with a point or two, it dates from then.”