Serbia`s Novak Djokovic opposes Syria military action
Novak Djokovic, the world`s top tennis player who grew up in Belgrade as NATO air strikes blasted the Serbian capital in 1999, hit out at US plans to take military action against Syria.
|Last Updated: Sep 02, 2013, 09:27 AM IST|Source: Bureau
New York: Novak Djokovic, the world`s top tennis player who grew up in Belgrade as NATO air strikes blasted the Serbian capital in 1999, hit out at US plans to take military action against Syria.
Serb star Djokovic as well as former women`s number one Ana Ivanovic both vividly recall sheltering from the attacks that were launched against the rule of Serb hardman leader Slobodan Milosevic.
Djokovic, 26, said Sunday that any attack against Syria would be ill-advised and counter-productive.
"I`m totally against any kind of weapon, any kind of air strike, missile attack. I`m totally against anything that is destructive because I had this personal experience, I know it cannot bring any good to anybody," said Djokovic.
"Those particular times that me and my fellow countrymen and colleagues from Serbia have been through is a period of life that we don`t wish anybody to experience. The war is the worst thing in life for humanity. Nobody really wins."
Djokovic was only 12 when NATO unleashed its firestorm, although his sporting talents allowed him to eventually quit Serbia for Germany to enroll in a tennis academy.
"It made us stronger, those two and a half months. We looked at it on the bright side. We were kids. We were only 12 years old. So we thought, OK, now we`re not obliged to go to school, we can play more tennis," he said.
"So we spent the whole day basically every day for two months on the tennis courts with the planes flying over our heads. After a week or two of the bombings, we just kind of moved on with our lives.
"We did everything we could and what we wanted. We just let life decide for us."
World number one Djokovic, a six-time Grand Slam title winner, added: "It was not in our control. We were helpless basically. Luckily we all survived, and we take this kind of experience and this particular situation from our past as a great lesson in life."
Ivanovic, a former women`s number one and past French Open champion, has often recalled the 78-day bombing campaign that forced her and her friends to play tennis in a derelict swimming pool.
"The pool was old, leaking and too expensive to heat, so they emptied it, put carpet inside and made two tennis courts," she said.
"It was impossible to play crosscourt. We had to keep playing down the lines."
During the crisis, flights in and out of Belgrade were suspended as she and her parents had to make a seven-hour car journey to Hungary in order to fly to international tournaments.
AFP
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.