This week marks Novak Djokovic‘s first appearance at the Gonet Geneva Open, but the top seed feels right at home on Swiss soil. Djokovic’s close friend and best man at his wedding, Neven Markovic, used to play for the local football club Servette FC. Markovic, a defender for Servette from 2013 to 2015, is one of the reasons Djokovic feels a strong connection to the club. That is why Djokovic in Geneva feels like at home.
“That’s why I’m supporting the club,” Djokovic said, jovially adding that Markovic could perhaps best be categorized as a “very physical player.” Djokovic, who will celebrate his 37th birthday on Wednesday, the same day he faces Yannick Hanfmann in the second round, also has family in Geneva.
“Neven played for Servette about 12, 13 years ago. That was the first time I came to see Servette and supported him,” Djokovic said in a press conference on Tuesday.
“Yesterday, I came with my family that lives here because my little cousin is getting married to a player of Servette. So that’s the connection now. That’s why I’m supporting the club, and I was there with them supporting him. It was a nice experience. I have family cousins that have lived here for a long time. I’ve visited them several times in the past. I’ve also practiced in Geneva a few times, but never played the tournament. This club is definitely one of the nicest I’ve seen in the world. The park is stunning, and the view of the lake is incredible. Overall, I feel very happy to be here.”
Novak #Djokovic Cenevre Stadı’nda Servette-Vaduz maçında ve #Servette antrenmanında yer aldı https://t.co/cWyZuGvukb pic.twitter.com/gsgrYSKyP9
— Tenis Not (@tenisnot) February 18, 2014
“No better practice at this moment than ATP Geneva”
The World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings is competing at the clay-court ATP 250 as a wild card. Holding a modest 12-5 season record by his standards, Djokovic is eager to start a season turnaround this week in Switzerland before beginning his quest for a 25th major title at Roland Garros.
“The reason I chose to come and play is because I feel like there is no better practice for me than match play at this moment,” said Djokovic, who is one victory shy of 1,100 tour-level match wins.
“I need more matches, even if it’s one, two, three, or four. It’s good for me because that’s how I find the form I need for Roland Garros.”
Aiming for his first trophy of the season, Djokovic in Geneva has been working hard to return to his top level.
“In terms of fitness, I’ve spent a lot of time with my new fitness coach to build endurance and physical strength needed to play a best-of-five Grand Slam on the physically demanding clay surface. So hopefully, I’ll get more than one match here in Geneva, and then we’ll see what happens in Paris” Djokovic said.
We totally agree with these words especially because last year Yannick earned victories against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Dominic Thiem. For those who watch him, there is plenty to know about Hanfmann outside of his game.
Did you know that Yannick was born with a hearing impairment? If a typical person’s hearing is 100 percent, his is roughly 60 percent. Despite this challenge, he has excelled in tennis and continues to compete at the highest levels.
In addition to training hard, Novak has been relaxing with football and basketball games for the last 10 days, and he himself pointed out how much the presence of his family means to him, as well as that it is getting harder and harder to bear being separated from his children. We wish him a happy 37th birthday and hope he wins today against German.