By Scoop Malinowski
It’s fascinating how Novak Djokovic seems to be involved in all the most inspiring real stories in tennis lately, from smashing records, changing the system to benefit lower ranked, struggling players, to supporting a young talent aspiring pro player who is short on budget.
Serbia has another prodigious young tennis talent named Hamad Medjedovic who faced limitations because his family didn’t have the means to support his training and travel expenses.
Novak Djokovic learned about the Medjedovic plight and offered to pay for everything in exchange for… nothing.
Medjedovic responded in style, producing a Rocky Balboa type inspiration story. The 20 year old underdog won the ATP’s Next Gen tournament by beating France’s Arthur Fils 34 41 42 34 41.
Ranked 110 in the world, Medjedovic, also sponsored by Babolat racquets, Armani Exchange attire and Asics shoes, is the lowest ranked player to capture the Next Gen title. For his work, he earned $514,000.
Djokovic must know special talent when he encounters it. Coached by former no. 12 Viktor Troicki, Medvedovic won three ATP Challenger Tour trophies in 2023, and reached tour-level semifinals in Gstaad and Astana. This year his match record on the ATP World Tour was 12-7.
ATP · Hamad Medjedovic · Next Gen · Novak Djokovic · Serbia
Sam · December 9, 2023 at 3:37 pm
Hamad? Is Medjedovic Muslim? 🤔
Scoop Malinowski · December 9, 2023 at 4:08 pm
Not sure but if Marat Safin is, maybe Hamad is too.
Sam · December 12, 2023 at 7:58 pm
Oh, Safin is Muslim? 🤔 Had no idea. I actually didn’t know that Mike Tyson is too.
Scoop Malinowski · December 13, 2023 at 8:02 am
Yes I was told Safin is Muslim, Tyson too, in the 90s he even changed his name while in jail to something Aziz. But maybe it was just a trendy thing to do and they were recruited like Ali was. Neither seem to talk about it now or show any devotion. One of my closest friends is close with one of the two and was with him this week and he told me two days ago about some of his jokes about when you go to heaven each Muslim supposedly will get 70 virgins, but he cracked about how could that be true, he can’t even find any down here. Then he joked, when he gets to heaven he would rather just have 70 prostitutes because they know what to do )
Sam · December 15, 2023 at 7:21 pm
Neither seem to talk about it now or show any devotion.
So they’re probably not making pilgrimages to Mecca or anything like that. 😉
Then he joked, when he gets to heaven he would rather just have 70 prostitutes because they know what to do )
Sounds like pearls of wisdom straight from the Koran. 😁
Scoop Malinowski · December 15, 2023 at 7:27 pm
🙂 … or straight from “the baddest man on the planet.”
Sam · December 19, 2023 at 9:14 pm
or straight from “the baddest man on the planet.”
Well, if he’s that bad, then maybe he should focus on getting to heaven himself first. 😏