"They broke rackets, argued, punched each other": Former Romanian ATP player sheds light on relationship between Djokovic and Gulbis
ATP
Former Romania tennis player Cosmin Georgescu has revealed
the relationship between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Latvian’s Ernests Gulbis.
Both players attended the same academy during the early stage
of their careers.
Georgescu was quoted in a report where he stated that the
relationship between the two was interesting.
"Djokovic knew Pilic and after a while, Ernest Gulbis
arrived,” he said. “Two different characters, Djokovic and Gulbis. Completely
different but when they were both on the field, no one could take them off
until after 6-8 hours of training a day. They broke rackets, argued, punched
each other, always punched each other. Two ambitious characters as rarely meet,
proud and determined.”
Interestingly, both players had very different career
trajectories despite starting at the same academy.
Gulbis has only won six titles in his career despite turning
pro in 2004. His best record in any of the Grand Slams was a semifinal
appearance in the French Open in 2014 where he lost to the current world number
two with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
On the other hand, Djokovic is the most successful player in
the history of the men’s singles category in the Open era, having won 23 Grand
Slam titles.
While doing that, the 36-year-old won 10 Australian Open,
three French Open, seven Wimbledon and three US Open titles.
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.
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