Novak Djokovic’s father Srdjan has been targeted with a character assassination campaign in Serbian media, a recent report claimed. The campaign has reportedly stemmed from the former World No. 1 and 24-time Major champion’s vociferous support for students in Serbia protesting against the country’s President, Aleksandar Vucic, and the government at large, demanding for systemic change.
Journalist Jaschar Dugalic, reporting for German daily newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung, recently wrote about how the narrative surrounding Djokovic in Serbia changed after the tennis legend’s plan of moving with his family to Athens, Greece, became public. As claimed by Dugalic, Serbian tabloid newspaper Informer started it.
“When information reached the public that Djokovic and his family were planning to move to Athens, the same newspaper labeled him a false patriot, who had presented himself as a symbol of Serbia for years, only to now flee to Greece,” Dugalic wrote for Neue Zurcher Zeitung.
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The journalist also brought up the smear campaign against Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan, which was reportedly kickstarted by a video posted by a Serbian entrepreneur who is on President Vukic's side and firmly against the students' protests.
"A few days ago, an entrepreneur, an opponent of the protest, published a video in which he links Djokovic's father to an alleged pedophile," Dugalic added.
Interestingly, while the former No. 1 has sided with Serbian students, he has steered clear of publicly saying anything directly against Vukic. Dugalic went on to highlight the complicated situation by recalling what Vukic said about the 38-year-old after his failure to reach the men's singles final of this year's Wimbledon Championships. The journalist further stated:
"Vučić himself presents himself as a calm father of the nation. After Djokovic failed to reach the Wimbledon final, there was no mockery. On the contrary: 'That man is a legend of Serbia. I support him wholeheartedly. He can speak against me as much as he wants and support my opponents. But to say something bad about him – that is stupid and ridiculous,' the 'Informer' quoted the president."
Novak Djokovic's post-win celebrations at Wimbledon 2025 were linked to student protests in Serbia; former No. 1 denied links
At the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, the Serb celebrated most of his wins with a 'pumping' dance performance. The media speculated that the former No. 1's celebration was a symbolic representation of 'pump it', a phrase used by student protesters in his home country to keep up the pressure on the Vucic-led government.
However, the 24-time Grand Slam winner denied the links, claiming that the celebration stemmed from an old song that he and his children dance to.
"As I mentioned to the Serbian journalists, it’s something between me and my children. We have a song, it’s called ‘Pump It Up’. I don’t know how many of you guys know that. It’s quite an old song. Good rhythm," the Serb told reporters at a press conference.
The student protests erupted in Serbia in November 2024 after a railway station canopy collapsed in the city of Novi Sad. The collapse led to the tragic end of 16 lives.
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