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Novak Djokovic admits he was simply deeply touched by the reception he received in Serbia and that caused him to be overwhelmed by emotions and break down in tears. On Tuesday, Djokovic and the Serbian national basketball team gathered on the balcony of the Belgrade City Assembly.
Djokovic landed in Belgrade following his US Open win, while Serbian basketballers returned from Manilla, where they won the silver medal for their country at the FIBA World Cup. Thousands of people gathered to celebrate the success of their athletes and Djokovic became very emotional while being honored in front of thousands. “Before I went out (in front of the fans), Beogradski Sindikat performed a song they dedicated to me, I knew about that song, but I didn’t know that the basketballers knew the words, and when I realized that they were singing it, when I saw the energy of those people singing that song, it was overwhelmingly emotional,” Djokovic told Telegraf.
Omg, I can’t this 😢
Novak Djoković is in tears as his receives a heartwarming welcome in his hometown.
Serbian National Team members are trying to console him ❤️@KSSrbije | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/HNPSbeZ0iB — Novak Weekly Podcast (@NovakWeekly) September 12, 2023
Djokovic grateful for the reception he received in Serbia
Initially, Djokovic didn’t think he would be appearing on the balcony with Serbian basketballers because he had “family obligations.” But Djokovic managed to come and the rest is well-documented.
“First impressions, yes and no, somehow everything happened so quickly for me in New York, that historic success and everything I experienced there in a month, is something that marked the season for me, today (Tuesday) I arrived in Belgrade, I had family obligations, I was not even supposed to be here, but with the national (Davis Cup) team in Spain, where I am joining them on Wednesday.
So it turned out spontaneously in a way that I joined the welcoming event. Thank you to everyone who invited me to that celebration, to be on the same balcony with basketball players who are my friends, people I admire, fantastic guys who made the nation happy with a silver medal, but also more than that, with the human values they showed, Borisa who is a national hero and who pushed the team to reach the final,” Djokovic said.
