Djokovic breaks down in tears …at his own charity tournament in Belgrade

An emotional Novak Djokovic could not hold back the tears while hosting a charity event at his tennis complex by the Danube River on Sunday.

Although the world number one missed out on Sunday’s Adria Tour final, in which Dominic Thiem beat Serbian Filip Krajinovic 4-3 2-4 4-2, the event revived a lot of fond memories for the 17-time Grand Slam champion who staged the exhibition while international tennis remains suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘I was very emotional on the court today. Childhood memories started flooding back, including those of growing up on these courts and playing here as a young boy,’ the 33-year-old told reporters after being cheered on by a 4,000-strong capacity crowd.

‘I try to give back to where I come from and be conscious of my childhood and my upbringing. This tennis was an epicentre of people from my childhood days getting together for this tournament, including my former coaches. They were all here.’

Djokovic beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev on Sunday in his last round robin match but failed to secure his place in the final after both players and Krajinovic ended up with 2-1 win-loss records and an identical 5-3 set difference in their section.

Krajinovic, who stunned Djokovic on Saturday, squeezed through on the basis of having the best games differential among the three.

However, he was powerless to stop Thiem in the final.

‘This tournament was for a good cause and we all gave our best,’ Thiem said after finishing off the weekend with a 100% winning record.

Credit: dailymail.co.uk

 

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