In 1999, as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (then Serbia and Montenegro) was caught in the final phase of the Kosovo War, the region was living through one of its most difficult periods. Amid that turmoil, an 11-year-old Novak Djokovic dared to dream of becoming the world’s No. 1 tennis player. But as he chased that dream, his younger brothers, Marko and Djordje, were forced to make their own sacrifices.

The Djokovic family survived the war, but the financial struggles that followed made life no easier. Novak’s parents still did everything they could to support his tennis ambitions. However, the same opportunity was not available to his younger brothers, who also wanted to follow in their elder brother’s footsteps.

After all, Novak had chosen tennis, a sport that demands a significant financial investment from the very beginning. And with the family already struggling, supporting three aspiring tennis players was simply not an option.

However, the 11-year-old Novak saw the sacrifices his brothers were making. It only pushed him harder to succeed, improve his family’s financial situation, and keep a promise to himself, one he would eventually go on to fulfill.

“My two younger brothers also wanted to play tennis, and they didn’t really receive the kind of resourceful support that I was getting,” he said on CBS Mornings. “My parents felt bad, but they had to make a choice. So, I made an oath to myself that I would repay my parents and brothers so they have the best life possible.”

When the Serbian turned 12, a conversation with his father marked a turning point, making Djokovic far more responsible and serious about his future.

“I had no option but to succeed,” he said at the 2026 Fanatics Fest in New York. “I was 12, and my dad sent me down, and we talked about this on the dock. He had $10, and he put them on the table, and he was like, ‘that’s all we got.’ I had to mature, I had to become the man that I wasn’t, I was just a kid. I had to take responsibility, I had to suppress my emotions, I had to become less playful and more serious.”

And when you watch Djokovic play, you can still see that edge in the way he approaches the court. But perhaps that intensity was shaped by the difficult circumstances he grew up facing back home. There is something both humbling and powerful about it. The struggles of Djokovic’s formative years did not just shape the person he became, they also left their mark on the fierce competitor the world would eventually see on a tennis court.

The world would soon watch Djokovic win 24 Grand Slam titles and collect almost every trophy tennis has to offer. But behind the scenes, the Serbian was doing something just as meaningful. He was changing his family’s fortunes and quietly honoring the promise he had made to his father and younger brothers: to reach the very top of the sport.

Today, he stands as the joint-most successful player in tennis history alongside Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam titles each.

A young boy who once practiced on the war-torn courts of Belgrade has now become a man who etched his name into tennis history. And perhaps, in his own way, Novak Djokovic’s journey was also a tribute to the sacrifices his brothers made for him along the way.

Idemo, Novak!

The world saw Novak Djokovic. His brothers saw the possibility first.

Djordje and Marko may never have experienced the same fame or success in their beloved sport as their elder brother. But there is no doubt they remain immensely proud of the way Novak carried the expectations and the weight of being the best for so many years.

“Novak is such an inspiration to me,” Djordje once confessed.

He also revealed how the three brothers were forced to grow up early, leaving home at a very young age. “All three of us brothers moved away from home at a very young age. We kept pushing each other to do better.”

Reflecting on his relationship with his brothers, Novak once explained why he never pressured Marko and Djordje to pursue tennis, despite becoming the most successful player in the sport.

“They had to overcome much more throughout their careers than maybe most of their generation did. So I try to participate in their careers, but I figure that if I constantly talk about tennis, trying to improve their game, give them advice, that would maybe jeopardize our private relationship and brother relationship, which is truly what I want to have with them,” he said.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion then added, “I want to be able to speak freely with them, not only about tennis. Whenever they want to talk, we talk. We have a great relationship.”

Indeed, Novak Djokovic may have reached the pinnacle of tennis, but perhaps that journey would have looked very different without the family that stood behind him in war-torn Belgrade. His brothers helped give flight to his dreams when the odds were stacked against him.