“Wrong Patriot”
Serbian media insult tennis star Djoković
09.08.2025 – 11:40 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
The 38-year-old tennis superstar is repeatedly approached by a tabloid medium. Reason: Special statements by the “Djoker”. Now there is another turn.
On the tennis court, it was not the last plan for record grand slam winner Novak Djoković: Since his semi-finals in Wimbledon, the Serb has no longer contested a tennis match. The 24-time Grand Slam winner canceled his participation in the Masters tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati and is only planning to return to the square at the US Open in New York at the end of August.
Apart from the court, the 38-year-old still makes headlines-and is sharpened and defamed by the government-related media of his homeland in Serbia. The government -related tabloid “Informer”, which is considered the mouthpiece of President Aleksandar Vučić, described Djokovic as a “shame” after a demonstration in March as well as a supporter of violence and a “color revolution”.
The background is the mass protests in Serbia that have been going on for months, which are committed to more rule of law and new elections. The trigger was the collapse of a station vordach in Novi Sad, in which 16 people were killed. Critics accuse the government of corruption and nepotism. Djoković repeatedly expressed his support for the protesters, dedicated a victory of an injured student to the Australian Open, shared pictures of large demonstrations on Instagram and showed the “pumpaj!” Gesture typical of the movement.
Later, the “Informer” also called him a “wrong patriot” after it became known that he is considering a move to Greece.
Now it is clear: The “Belgrade Open”, a tennis tournament whose license had acquired the Djoković family in 2021, will not take place in the Serbian capital this year, but from November 2 to November 8th. Djoković’s brother Djordje is still a tournament director. At the end of 2023, the family had emphasized that they wanted to hold on to the Belgrade location.
As early as June, Djoković stayed in Greece for several days, attended schools and visited an estate in Marousi north of Athens. He also met Prime Minister Kyriako’s Mitsotakis. The topic is said to have been a so-called “Golden Visa”, which ensures non-EU citizens in investments from CHF 250,000. In Djoković’s case, participations in sports facilities are said to have been discussed.
The move of the previous “Belgrade Open” could now also be related to the persistent attacks by the “Informer”. Despite the criticism in parts of the media, the superstar remains popular in his home country. According to surveys, many Serbs could even imagine that Djoković will be a candidate in new elections.