Magnus
Norman, head coach of Stan Wawrinka, showered
Novak Djokovic with praise for
his financial support to the recent Next Gen ATP Finals champion, Hamad
Medjedovic.
The
20-year-old Serbian displayed a brilliant performance at King Abdullah Sports
City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Hamad Medjedovic won the tournament undefeated,
securing a tremendous victory in the final against the top-seeded 19-year-old,
world No. 36 Arthur Fils.
Medjedovic
entered the tournament as the 6th seed and won all his matches. In the final,
he came back from a set down against the French player, ultimately winning the
match in five sets: 3-4(6), 4–1, 4–2, 3–4(9), 4–1.
The recent
champion of the Next Gen ATP Finals is also a major protege of Novak Djokovic.
The 24-times Grand Slam champion has provided financial support to Medjedovic
from a young age and has also assisted him in technical and moral aspects over
the years.
Coach
Magnus Norman, who works with Stan Wawrinka, commended Djokovic for the gesture
he has shown to his young compatriot.
"In a
year very much filled with aggression, hate and violence in this world this is
wonderful to read. An act of kindness and giving back without wanting publicity
or PR. Well done @DjokerNole," Norman wrote.
Medjedovic
himself has described his training experience with Novak Djokovic in Belgrade
and has acknowledged the great admiration he feels for the current world No. 1:
"Many
times I thought I was dreaming. You know, many times I had to [pinch myself] to
make sure that I'm not dreaming. But I mean, what can you say? What can i say?
It's for for sure, an unreal experience just to look at Novak," he said
during an interview.
"Novak
is 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," Medjedovic added.
