An emotional Novak Djokovic after the 2023 US Open final
Novak Djokovic has revealed the things that make him feel most “vulnerable” and “fragile” in a heartfelt answer during an interview.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion competed at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia this week.
Djokovic defeated his great rival Rafael Nadal in the third place playoff on Saturday after losing to Jannik Sinner in the last four of the event in Riyadh.
The 37-year-old Serbian was a runner-up to Sinner at the Shanghai Masters last week in his most recent ATP Tour appearance.
The tennis icon is next set to play at the Paris Masters, which will run from October 28 to November 3. He will then likely end his season at the ATP Finals in Turin, which he is in a strong position to qualify for.
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In an interview with La Nacion, Djokovic gave a detailed and thoughtful response when asked what makes him feel vulnerable.
“What makes me fragile? More than anyone can imagine. Children. My children, but also other children,” Djokovic explained.
“I was always moved by children, but when I became a father… when I see children suffering, it breaks my heart, it’s like I get depressed. Because they are the purest beings on the planet and they deserve the best, they deserve a future.
“And when I see these wars and everything that is happening… I lived through the war, my city was bombed day and night for two and a half months. I saw dead people. And now that I see wars in other parts of the world, I don’t understand.
“I think I know why it happens, unfortunately, the political issues and all that, but it makes me sad, because if we don’t leave a better world for the children of the next generation, it means that we didn’t do things right.
“That’s why one of the most important reasons why we work with children in our foundation is because we want to create a better society, to have a better education. And global injustice makes me feel very vulnerable, particularly towards children or nature.
“I am a great lover of nature and animals; seeing that suffering destroys me. There is also something that is not related to that, but at some point it does, that also makes me feel sad, and that is the suffering of people due to health issues on a daily basis.
“And when they have that feeling that there is no hope, I have no solution for that fear. When I was a child, my family had serious illnesses and I am very sensitive to that. I imagine a world that is healthier mentally and physically, connected to nature and respectful of it.
“There are cities where they continue to build buildings and forget about ecology, about the importance of each tree. Each tree provides us with oxygen, gives us life, energy, food for our soul, sun. But we are wrapped up in our phones.”
