So there was a lot of adversity and it was a very challenging time for everyone in my country. But my parents still decided to support me in my dream, which was to become a professional tennis player and hopefully win Wimbledon and be number one in the world." Djokovic reaped the rewards of spending time with another major figure in his life, Jelena Gencic, who he called his 'tennis mother', with Pilic being the 'father'. His parents, Srdan and Dijana, were former skiers but had no tennis background, and Djokovic was grateful that they took a leap of faith with him. "He never played tennis.

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Persons: Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Niki Pilic's, Norway's Casper Ruud, Jelena Gencic, Pilic, Julien Pretot, Toby Davis Organizations: Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: Serbia, Munich, Germany