"You should not go" said father to Novak Djokovic ahead of Olympics

The father of Novak Djokovic is a very outspoken man who is not afraid to share his opinions publicly on many different matters ranging from tennis to other topics. He was a guest on a Serbian podcast where he revealed a text he sent his son Novak Djokovic ahead of the Olympics. It read:

“If my opinion means anything to you, I don’t think you should go to Tokyo. It is a long way, there are no spectators, you will have to go to quarantine again. It’s just not the Olympics without spectators. Dad loves you.”

Djokovic did not head his father's advice and travelled to Tokyo where he looked unbeatable early in the event. However, things fell apart midway through his match against Alexander Zverev and Djokovic remained empty-handed without a single medal.

His father also revealed the response he got from Novak which read:

“Of course your opinion matters to me, Dad. I wanted to take three or four days to feel how my body was. I always recover quickly, so it’s not a big deal. Patriotism is very strong in my heart and in my head, Dad. You know me when it comes to Serbia, I go and I don’t turn around.”