Djokovic On Son Stefan: 'He's In Love With Tennis Right Now'

A fun sight throughout Wimbledon has been Novak Djokovic’s son, Stefan, joining the six-time champion on the practice court. What might be surprising is that it appears Stefan is developing a Rafael Nadal-like forehand, with his follow through whipping over his head.

“He likes to do that. He likes to intimidate me on the court with finishing the swing here. He knows I don't like that particularly. I'm trying to teach him to finish the hand here, the swing, over the shoulder,” Djokovic said. “He does that, but he does this as well. Whenever he does that he always laughs because he knows. We have these kind of funny moments on the court.”

Start them young ?@DjokerNole | @Wimbledon | #wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Ya1SHN84Jd

Djokovic might be pursuing his seventh trophy at The Championships and his 21st major title, but he has made sure to enjoy every moment he has been able to share with Stefan, on or off the court.

“I try to use every available opportunity, possibility, time to play with him because he's right now fully immersed into tennis. Everything around tennis, how he can play, he's watching, he's analysing. We're talking,” Djokovic said. “[Saturday] night when I was putting him to bed, he was asking me questions: What is the difference between the racquet head sizes, the strings, why somebody is stringing less tension, all these basic questions that kids are very curious about.

“He's in love with tennis right now. It was fully his own desire to really pursue tennis. So of course I'm going to be there for him. I never force him to be on the tennis court, but if he wants, I try to always make myself ready to be there and play with him.”

The 35-year-old said he will support his son in “any possible way” if he wants to pursue professional tennis in the future. However, the top seed said Stefan is too young to think too far ahead about such things.

“It's important for me that we have a relationship as a father and son, first of all, primary, before anything else, and that he's enjoying life, that he's having fun,” Djokovic said. “He's trying different sports. Super important. I was growing up with skiing, football, tennis, martial arts, different things. I feel like it's very important to have, particularly at this young age, a lot of stimulus to the children from different perspectives and different sports and different movement, different activities.

“I don't like children very early just doing only one sport. I feel like it's important to try different things because it will help the development of the brain and also motor skills.”

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