CAMELOT FANTASIES

 
Youngest Djokovic Is Adjusting to Life as a Pro




By DAVID COX
 

On Monday afternoon the eyes of the tennis world were fixated on Flushing Meadows, Novak Djokovic played the 37th installment of his rivalry with Rafael Nadal. Several thousand miles away in Banja Luka, a picturesque city in northern Bosnia, another Djokovic watched from his hotel room, living every moment and dreaming that one day he too might experience the adrenaline rush of competing on such a grand stage.

Djordje Djokovic, 18, is the youngest of Novak’s two-tennis playing siblings and has long been marked as a special talent. But with only two wins in his first full season on the professional circuit, it has been a frustrating time.

His trip to Banja Luka did not last long. A wild-card entry for this week’s challenger tournament, he managed to win just three games against Diego Sebastian Schwartzman of Argentina, ranked 133rd.

Djordje said he knew that with the physicality of tennis right now, few teenagers can survive in the higher echelons of tennis. With players peaking in their mid-to-late 20s, patience is vital. Like his brother, Djordje has an unerring belief in his own ability to reach the top.

“Game-wise I think I play pretty well,” he said in a telephone interview. “I definitely feel I can handle the guys in the top 200, but I’m missing confidence. This has been a really tough year for me. I haven’t won many matches, but it’s been a good preparation for the next few years because I’ve had experience against these players. I know I can beat them, but it takes time and I just need to be patient and wait for my chance.”