{"id":58321,"date":"2025-06-25T02:49:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T02:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=58321"},"modified":"2025-06-25T02:49:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T02:49:06","slug":"the-backstory-of-djokovics-move-to-greece-why-he-fell-out-with-the-serbian-president-and-what-he-discussed-with-mitsotakis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=58321","title":{"rendered":"The backstory of Djokovic\u2019s move to Greece: Why he fell out with the Serbian President and what he discussed with Mitsotakis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why he rejects Monaco, Spain, and Qatar \u2013 The friendship that broke down with the Serbian President who had supported him during his 2022 detention in Australia over vaccine refusal<\/h4>\n
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It was Friday the 13th when at the well-known seafood restaurant \u201cPapadakis\u201d in Kolonaki, Novak Djokovic dined with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the following day it became known that this legendary tennis player would be moving to Greece.<\/p>\n

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Much was said during the dinner between the two men, but, according to behind-the-scenes information, the conversation did not focus solely on the arrival of the famous athlete\u2014along with his wife and children\u2014to Athens starting this September.<\/p>\n

Many other topics were discussed between the Greek Prime Minister and the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who sees Greece as the closest thing to his beloved Serbia.<\/p>\n

Djokovic\u2019s love for his homeland is well-known\u2014where both his and his wife Jelena\u2019s families still reside.<\/p>\n

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However, his falling-out with his former close friend and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107, due to Djokovic\u2019s stance following the tragedy at the Novi Sad railway station, has left him with limited prospects for returning to live in Serbia.<\/p>\n

For over a year now, the 38-year-old tennis player has been looking for a country to settle in with his wife and their two children, Stefan and Tara. Since the beginning of the year, when he first made contact with the Greek government, Djokovic quickly showed that he had chosen Greece as the next stop for his family\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

He has already been searching for a residence in both the northern and southern suburbs of Athens, aiming to move by the end of the summer. Together with Jelena, they are said to have already selected the private school their children will attend.<\/p>\n

Tennis, Economy, and the Golden Visa<\/strong><\/p>\n

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On Thursday, June 12, Novak Djokovic and his wife arrived in Athens for scheduled appointments to view properties. According to recent information, the couple first viewed villas in the northern suburbs, where the well-known English-speaking private school, Saint Catherine\u2019s, is located.<\/p>\n

The next day, they viewed other villas in the southern suburbs. According to a close friend of the tennis star, Jelena will make the final decision, though it seems the northern suburbs (Kifisia, Kefalari, Ekali) are the most likely choice due to the school. However, if they choose a home in the southern suburbs, the couple will need to find a suitable English-speaking school for their children, who until now attended school in Marbella, Spain.<\/p>\n

That same evening, Djokovic dined with the Greek Prime Minister at \u201cPapadakis\u201d in Kolonaki, without their spouses. The conversation included a lot of talk about tennis, as Kyriakos Mitsotakis is a fan of the sport and surely had much to discuss with the tennis legend, who continues to compete in major tournaments. Djokovic is even considering participating in the 2028 Olympic Games, when he will be 41 years old.<\/p>\n

According to what\u2019s been revealed, Djokovic is expected to join the Golden Visa program, which allows non-EU citizens to reside in Greece for five years, with the option to renew. This was also a topic discussed with the Prime Minister, along with geopolitics and the economy.<\/p>\n

People close to the famous Serbian player say Greece was the favorite from the start for Djokovic\u2019s life after tennis. Despite receiving offers from Spain and the United Arab Emirates, Greece attracted him the most, as Greeks and Serbs share close cultural and emotional ties.<\/p>\n

The Principality of Monaco, where he and his wife lived from 2014 to 2020, was ruled out from the start, and a brief flirtation with Qatar didn\u2019t progress.<\/p>\n

Another advantage Greece holds for Djokovic is its proximity to Serbia, which under other circumstances would clearly have been his first choice\u2014especially since he owns a home in Belgrade. But since November 2024, returning there is no longer an option due to the tragic accident in Novi Sad and Djokovic\u2019s position against the government led by President Vu\u010di\u0107, who had previously been a close friend.<\/p>\n

The Rift with Vu\u010di\u0107<\/strong><\/p>\n

In January 2022, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Serbian tennis star arrived in Australia to compete in the Australian Open. The issue was that Djokovic was unvaccinated\u2014a fact he had clearly stated to the Australian authorities in advance. Although he had received special permission from the country\u2019s tennis federation to compete, he was ultimately not allowed to play and was instead held for 11 days in a migrant detention center. The situation caused global uproar, particularly due to how one of the world\u2019s top tennis players was treated\u2014an athlete who holds 23 Guinness World Records.<\/p>\n

At the time, Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 rushed to defend his \u201cbuddy,\u201d saying: \u201cYou tortured Djokovic for 11 days just to issue a decision you already knew from the first day. If you had said from the start that unvaccinated players couldn\u2019t compete, Djokovic either wouldn\u2019t have come or would\u2019ve gotten vaccinated.\u201d<\/p>\n

The relationship between the Serbian President and the sports phenom had been extremely close, with the two meeting whenever their schedules allowed. But everything changed last November.<\/p>\n

On November 1st, just before noon, the roof above the main entrance of Novi Sad\u2019s railway station collapsed, killing 15 people, including a 6-year-old child. The tragedy shocked Serbia. Even though two ministers and the head of the state railway resigned, public outrage remained high.<\/p>\n

Enemies at the Gates<\/strong><\/p>\n

As student protests intensified, Vu\u010di\u0107 \u201csacrificed\u201d his Prime Minister, Milo\u0161 Vu\u010devi\u0107, but Djokovic\u2014known as \u201cNole\u201d to his fans\u2014expressed his thoughts in a post on X last December:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs someone who deeply believes in the power of youth and their desire for a better future, I think it is important that their voice is heard. Serbia has enormous potential, and its educated youth is its greatest strength. What we all need is understanding and respect. With you, Novak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Media outlets sympathetic to the President ignored the post entirely, while national TV even edited out the words \u201cunderstanding\u201d and \u201crespect.\u201d Since then, the relationship between the two men has essentially ended. This January, Djokovic attended a Partizan vs. Red Star derby wearing a sweatshirt that read, \u201cStudents are champions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The footage enraged Vu\u010di\u0107. In March, as the student protests continued, Djokovic posted a photo from a massive demonstration with the caption:<\/p>\n

\u201cSerbia\u2026 History\u2026 Magnificent!!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In response, Vu\u010di\u0107\u2019s tightly controlled newspaper Informer ran a story titled \u201cNovak Supports the Revolution\u201d, in which the journalist called the student protesters \u201chooligans.\u201d It became clear the two men were now adversaries\u2014a rift Djokovic did not seek, as he certainly could have returned to live in Serbia.<\/p>\n

His popularity is such that even Vu\u010di\u0107 would think twice before attacking him through his media outlets. Whenever Djokovic walks the streets of Belgrade, he\u2019s treated almost like a head of state.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Djokovic has made it clear he has no interest in getting involved in Serbian politics. His focus remains on tennis, where\u2014even with age catching up to him\u2014he continues to shine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why he rejects Monaco, Spain, and Qatar \u2013 The friendship that broke down with the Serbian President who had supported him during his 2022 detention in Australia… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\nThe backstory of Djokovic\u2019s move to Greece: Why he fell out with the Serbian President and what he discussed with Mitsotakis - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=58321\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The backstory of Djokovic\u2019s move to Greece: Why he fell out with the Serbian President and what he discussed with Mitsotakis - 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