Hamad Medjedovic, a rising ATP player from Serbia has revealed that Novak Djokovic has been there for him with regard to financial help as well as for other needs of his career. Explaining that world no.1 was assisting him immensely, the 20-year-old Serb was effusive in his praise for the tennis legend when he said that, he covered it all.
Beaming that Novak was the first to congratulate on his title win at a Challenger event, Medjedovic stated, “When I picked up my phone, I saw his voice message lasting more than one minute…” According to him, the legend of Djokovic stems from the fact that he is available for advice when needed. Djokovic has been constantly helping out upcoming tennis stars from Serbia through his Novak Tennis Center.
Hamad Medjedovic: “Novak Djokovic’s been helping me out financially. Giving me whatever I need for my career. He covered it all. He just helped me out when I needed it & still helping me out in all types of ways. I’m glad he’s there for me.”@DjokerNole always there to help 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/agjoBsHF14
— Shane Gupta (@Shanegupta22) October 20, 2023
Novak held the youngster for high praise, saying that his win at Mallorca would mean a lot for the future and that he would like to help out more friends who are stuck between Futures and ATP 250 events. Eldin, the father of Hamad, lauded Djokovic’s role, saying that they barely spent any money on tennis expenses as it was completely handled by the Serbian legend.
He added, “These kinds of things are rare in today’s world, but thank God there are still people who don’t care only about money, but about the human side of things.” Djokovic’s help was like Messi or Ronaldo telling someone to come and play football with them, according to Eldin.
Who is Hamad Medjedovic and how has he fared with the help of Novak Djokovic in the 2023 season?
Hailing from Belgrade, Serbia, Medjedovic made his debut in an ATP main draw at the 2021 Belgrade Open where he was a wildcard participant. 2023 proved to be a marquee year for Medjedovic, as he registered his first win on the ATP tour when he defeated Viktor Durasovic in the Davis Cup tie against Norway.
His third Challenger title triumph at the 2023 Upper Austria Open where he defeated former world No. 3 and top seed Dominic Thiem en route, proved to be a milestone for Hamad. The win helped him rise by 50 positions to break into the top 170 in the world.
Medjedovic also made his Grand Slam debut in 2023. He lost out in the first round of both, the French Open and Wimbledon, having qualified for the main draw of both events. Unfortunately, in the US Open, he lost out in the qualification round to Borna Gojo after a tough three-setter.
Medjedovic has had positive results over the past two months, winning the title at the Mallorca Challenger and reaching the semifinals of the ATP 250 tournament in Astana. With that run, he was able to reach a career-high rank of 102. Hamad, who is coached by his compatriot Viktor Troicki, holds a 7-6 record at the ATP Tour main draw this year.
Hamad looks strong to make it to the Next Gen ATP Finals at Jeddah, currently sitting in the ninth spot. The probability for that to happen has increased, since Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and Ben Shelton are all vying to participate in the ATP Finals at Turin. Medjedovic would like to finish the year on a high and would like to rake up more wins next season to repay Djokovic’s faith in him.