Djokovic and the Importance of Ljubicic in His Early Years: "He Told Me to Always Be Myself and Stay Authentic"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 20 Jul 2026 | 20.21

Djokovic and the importance of Ljubicic in his beginnings: "He told me to always be myself and stay authentic". Photo: Gettyimages

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Before the start of the North American hardcourt swing culminating in the US Open, Novak Djokovic carried out his personal tour in the United States. After ending his participation in Wimbledon, the Serbian crossed the pond to promote his documentary, which will be released in a month, and also to take part in various events related to the World Cup final in football.

At the latest event where he was involved with actor Kevin Hart, Djokovic talked about his beginnings in tennis and the figures he looked up to when he was a teenager gradually entering the ATP Tour. The two names he mentioned were Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic.

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Novak Djokovic highlighted the importance of Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic in his early days as a professional tennis player

Ljubicic rose to world number three in 2006 and won 10 ATP titles, with the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells 2010 being his greatest achievement. On the Grand Slam stage, he notably reached the semifinals at Wimbledon 2006 and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open 2006. Meanwhile, Ancic reached a career-high ranking of seventh in 2006 and retired in 2011 with three ATP titles and a Wimbledon semifinal appearance in 2004.

Two figures that were very important to Djokovic: "Both were at the top of the world at that time, third and seventh in the ATP rankings. At that time, I shared a coach with Ivan Ljubicic, who was the third-ranked player in the world," he stated in remarks reported by SportKlub.

The Serbian confessed to feeling lost in his early professional stages: "I was a teenager and had no idea about anything. What strings to use, what racket, what kind of balance, how much weight the racket should have... I really didn't know. I learned everything on the go. Being a scrawny kid from Serbia who had just entered the tennis world, I was trying to find my way and earn my place."

Therefore, he will always be grateful for the closeness and advice of Ljubicic: "He took me under his protection. He helped me and guided me throughout the process. He explained to me how to communicate with the media and how to behave. The most important advice he gave me was to always be myself and remain authentic," concluded the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

After falling in the Wimbledon semifinals against Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic faces the second part of the season with the clear goal of contending for the US Open, commencing in a month. Before that, he will seek preparation at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 to arrive in the best possible shape for the New York tournament.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Djokovic y la importancia de Ljubicic en sus inicios: "Me dijo que siempre fuera yo mismo y me mantuviera auténtico"

ATP