Tennis

The Novak Djokovic-Nikola Jokic relationship explained: How Serbia’s stars became friends

Published

3 years ago

June 14, 2023

Annie

The Novak Djokovic-Nikola Jokic relationship explained: How Serbia’s stars became friends

Getty Images

Serbia has reason to celebrate two of its most recognizable sports stars: Nikola Jokic and Novak Djokovic.

Both were crowned atop their respective pantheons within hours of each other. his native Belgrade won his third Roland Garros and 23rd Grand Slam on Sunday 11 June and the one of Sombor his first NBA Championship and Finals MVP on Monday 12th.

Referring to tennis and basketball as well as the Balkan lands, Djokovic recently revealed that he really is a big fan of the Nuggets star.

Serbian tennis legend and GOAT Novak Djokovic talks about his admiration for Nikola Jokic.

“He is the pride of Serbia, we are so proud of him. We hope he wins his first ring”#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/sTmzhrdpAe

— nikolaesthetic (@nikolaesthetic) May 29, 2023

“I don’t think anyone can do what they’re doing right now”Nole said recently. “He is definitely the best player in the world and I support him a lot. He is an incredible guy, the pride of Serbia and we are very proud of him.”

Around the same time, Jokic was reported to be praising his compatriot as a hero and “ambassador“Serbian.

“He is a person who represents Serbia on a much bigger stage. He is the ambassador of Serbia.”assured the genius of Sombor. “He is the idol of the children in Serbia, not only for the things he does on the pitch, but [también] about the things your institution does…

“I want to be like him. He’s doing something great for the kids, for Serbia, for everyone. We can’t compare.”

Below, all the information about the origin and evolution of the friendship between Novak Djokovic and Nikola Jokic.

The friendship between Novak Djokovic and Nikola Jokic, he explained

Djokovic and Jokic they were born into extinction Yugoslaviain the area that currently includes the Republic of Serbia, although the tennis player did it inside Belgrade and the Nuggets interior inside shadowin the autonomous province of Vojvodina.

Both were involved in sports when they were young and quickly made the jump to the international scene: Djokovic he was 16 when he turned pro 2003 and Jokic was 19 years old when he was drafted by the Nuggets in 2014.

Nole recently told FanDuel that he got Jokic’s phone number in late May and planned to talk to him.

The Nuggets star was quick to check for a congratulatory note after the Game 5 Finals win during postgame interviews, leaving behind a funny scene.

Nikola Jokic checked his phone to see if Novak Djokovic had sent him a congratulatory text…

He was then overwhelmed by the number of notifications on his phone 😂 pic.twitter.com/1YwZYieCwI

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 13, 2023

The couple had met before. Djokovic, a huge fan of the sport of canasta, wore Jokic’s jersey in the 2021 Roland Garros semifinals after his compatriot won his first MVP.

This shirt looks good on you. @DjokerNole!

Good luck in the semi final today! pic.twitter.com/KwhSu7acZ5

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 11, 2021

Joker is MVP 😤 Congratulations Nikola, volim te brate. All the best in the playoffs @Nuggets @NBA pic.twitter.com/aWEs9gG21h

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 10, 2021

They also attended a basketball camp in Belgrade together in the summer of 2020, according to Insider.

Both are now at the top of their respective sports, and while each has plenty of fans in their own right, the admiration for each other is obviously notable as well.

Author:

Sarah Tidwell

Source: Sporting News

Annie

I am Annie Mcadams, a news author at Sportish. I specialize in covering different sections of sports and have been writing for the past five years. My passion lies in uncovering new stories that are informative, interesting and captivating to the audience. I have a knack for finding the right sources who can provide reliable insight on trending topics.

Tennis

Australian Open Medvedev dominates Halys in second round

Published

4 hours ago

January 21, 2026

Nancy

Australian Open Medvedev dominates Halys in second round

(Melbourne) Quentin Halys, 83^e world, held up well, but did not find the solution against the Russian Daniil Medvedev (12^e) who won 6-7 (9/11), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, Wednesday in the second round of the Australian Open.

The triple finalist in Melbourne (2021, 2022, 2024), beaten last year in the second round, will face the Hungarian Fabian Marozsan (47^e) to try to climb into 8^are of final.

After snatching the first set, Halys achieved the entry break in the second set and had three balls at 40/0 to lead 3-1.

But instead, the Russian chained five points in a row to get back to 2-2 and dominate the rest of the round. And the game ended with an ace.

Halys therefore does not equal his best Grand Slam result, obtained three times by reaching the third round at Wimbledon (2023, 2024) and Roland-Garros (2025).

PHOTO PAUL CROCK, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Quentin Halys

“Quentin played very well and I’m happy to have played at a good level to win,” commented Medvedev who believes he is not yet playing as well as in Brisbane where he won before coming to Melbourne where he is “struggling” to adapt to the courts.

“His forehand was very dangerous, even at the end when he was tired. But I dug deep and managed to prevail,” he added.

“It’s been over a year since I last got past the second round of a Grand Slam tournament, so I’m happy,” he added with a laugh.

He indeed played in the quarter-finals of the United States Open in 2024, where he won his only Grand Slam title to date in 2021, before falling in the second round in Melbourne in 2025 then in the first at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows.

“Above all, I need to rebuild my confidence. If I win five more matches here (and therefore the title, Editor’s note), it will be great. But I will take the matches one after the other,” he concluded.

Source: lapresse

Nancy

I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.

Tennis

Medvedev beat Alisa in the second round of the Australian Open

Published

5 hours ago

January 21, 2026

Gary

Medvedev beat Alisa in the second round of the Australian Open

Daniil Medvedev / Photo: © Hannah Peters / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev beat Frenchman Quentin Halis in the second round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

The meeting ended with the score 6:7 (9:11), 6:3, 6:4, 6:2. The match lasted 3 hours 2 minutes.

In the next round, the 11th tournament seed Medvedev will play against Hungarian Fabian Marozan.

Grand Slam Tournament. Australian Open. Melbourne (Australia). Hard. Total prize fund: about $75 million

Men. Second round

Daniil Medvedev (Russia, 11) – Quentin Halis (France) – 6:7 (9:11), 6:3, 6:4, 6:2

Source: Sportbox

Gary

I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.

Tennis

“She will be a tough opponent on clay” Svitolina appreciated Oleinikova’s performance

Published

5 hours ago

January 21, 2026

Nancy

“She will be a tough opponent on clay” Svitolina appreciated Oleinikova’s performance

Ukraine’s first racket Elina Svitolina He answered questions about the issue at a press conference Alexandra Oleynikova – Playing style and position regarding the presence of Russian and Belarusian players in the tour:

“Oleynikova’s style of play? She brings something new to the game. There are few players like that and it’s always interesting to watch how they set up play, how they create play. It’s very impressive for her to start like this in her first Grand Slam, playing well in her own way. This is very uncomfortable tennis. I think she will be a particularly difficult opponent on clay and you will have to work really hard to beat her.”

Oleynikova’s words regarding the suspension of Russian and Belarusian tennis players? The war has been going on for four years. We’ve talked about this many times, and for me it’s already… gone away. “The decisions have been made by the WTA and now we can just go out there and try to perform well, we can represent our country properly, we can use our voice to attract attention, we can help and remember we can also use our voice to draw attention to our homeland.”

On January 21, Svitolina defeated Linda Klimovicheva and reached the 1/16 final at the Australian Open. Oleynikova lost to major champion Madison Keys in the first round the day before and narrowly missed the first set.

Source: Sport UA

Nancy

I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.