by Novak Djokovic recalled the “horror” of his childhood ahead of his final meeting with Rafael Nadal on Saturday.
The 37-year-old grew up in war-torn Serbia, something he has spoken openly about in the past.
Djokovic has now revealed how scared he was as a teenager, admitting he and his family were constantly afraid of bombs being dropped from the sky.
Speaking to La Nacion, he said: “It’s a horror. The worst thing anyone can experience. It is the fear of the unknown. Not knowing whether the next bomb will hit you in the head.”
Novak Djokovic recalled the “horror” of his childhood ahead of his final meeting with Rafael Nadal on Saturday
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“And so it was every day, the alarms, the sirens that woke us up every night when the planes were approaching.”
Djokovic then recalled a specific memory from 1999.
He was only 12 at the time and said his mother hit her head on a radiator and fell unconscious as they sought shelter in the basement.
“I remember my mother one night… because you’re sleeping and you wake up in the middle of the night because you hear the siren and you have to grab a bag and go to the basement of the building to try to find shelter. ” he added.
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“The first time it happened, my mother got up in the dark because we were all sleeping together, not knowing what was going to happen and crying every night.
“And she hit her head on the radiator and passed out.
“So it’s 3 a.m. and my dad’s wife is unconscious.
“I was 12 years old and my younger brothers, 8 and 4, were crying. There was total panic.”
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Despite his traumatic childhood, Djokovic has established himself as arguably the best tennis player of all time.
He has an incredible 24 Grand Slams to his name, two more than Nadal and four more than Roger Federer.
Djokovic wants to emphasize that he would not wish his childhood on anyone. After all, the horrors of war are unprecedented.
But he feels it helped him become the tennis sensation he is today.
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Novak Djokovic has revealed that his mother fell unconscious one night while he was growing up in war-torn Serbia
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“But it is an experience that has strengthened us as a family, as people,” he said.
“And I’ll say it again: I don’t wish it on anyone. I want to be clear: I don’t believe anyone should suffer through war to develop mental strength, there are other ways to do it.”
“But for me it was a very important part of my development and as a young child I was forced to grow up.”
Novak Djokovic will face Rafael Nadal for the last time on Saturday evening
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Djokovic and Nadal will meet for the 61st time on Saturday.
The Serb has won 31 of his showdowns, while his rival has 29 wins.
Their last meeting came at the Paris Olympics earlier this year, when Djokovic defeated Nadal en route to the gold medal.
