Novak Djokovic isn’t having the best of times on the tennis court at the moment. The 36-year-old has not won a single ATP title in the first 4 months of the 2024 ATP season However, that has not reduced his stardom one bit and his fans are getting nostalgic remembering his old victories. One fan called ‘asud’ shared an old, golden video of Djokovic giving an incredible post-match interview after winning his first-ever ATP title back in 2006.
Novak Djokovic was aged just 19 when he won his maiden ATP title at the 2006 Dutch Open in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. The young Serb defeated Nicolas Massu 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in the final. Looking back at the video, it does bring a smile to his fans’ faces when they see the same humor, joy, and the same enthusiasm, and hunger in Djokovic’s expressions, as they are now.
Novak Djokovic had just begun coaching under ex-Slovakian tennis player Marian Vajda in 2006, and the Dutch Open was their first-ever win together. Therefore, it naturally called for a celebration. Djokovic, in the high of the moment, also had a fun moment with Vajda. When asked about what it felt like to train under a coach who had also played in the final of an ATP event in 2003, Djokovic had a golden response.
“His best ranking was 34. Now I am better than him,” said Djokovic, as they all shared a laugh including Vajda in the stands.
Djokovic’s then-girlfriend and now-wife Jelena Djokovic (nee Gencic) was in the stands too. Jelena as well as Marian Vajda were filled with happiness upon seeing Djokovic win his first title. Vajda’s best ranking was indeed 34th in the men’s singles category, but Djokovic was unstoppable after that victory as he entered the top 20 of the world rankings after winning his 2nd ATP title. It was at the Moselle Open in Metz, France.
Djokovic’s elation coupled with his humor is what made him appealing to the masses in the first place. Even today, years after achieving every single trophy imaginable in tennis, he still has that down-to-earth nature and casual, friendly vibe towards everyone. That’s why most tennis fans love him, even beyond his tennis accomplishments.
In the same interview, Djokovic had also said, “Beer, wine, I mean come on, It’s too weak. I would take much stronger, something… Come on, it’s my first title (loudly), I mean I have to celebrate…”
More about Marian Vajda, the earliest coach of Novak Djokovic
Marian Vajda is the most successful coach in the history of men’s tennis if number of Grand Slams won is considered. The 59-year-old Slovakian former player has won 20 Grand Slam titles as a coach. And all of 20 of them have been with Novak Djokovic, out of his 24 total titles. Vajda was born in Povazska Bystrica, Czechoslovakia, and currently resides in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Born on March 24, 1965, Marian Vajda has been the coach of Novak Djokovic for the longest time. The duo met during the 2006 French Open, where Djokovic lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-final. He coached the Serb from 2006 to 2017; parting ways after Djokovic lost the 2017 Monte Carlo Masters quarter-final match to David Goffin. They reunited at the 2018 Monte Carlo Masters after Andre Agassi quit Novak Djokovic’s team and Vajda continued with the Serb until the end of the 2021 season.
Marian Vajda remained Djokovic’s coach amidst a team of other coaches such as Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic. Vajda and Djokovic built a strong coach-pupil relationship, one that became personal to both. Till date, Vajda is one of Djokovic’s biggest supporters and that speaks volumes of the personalities of both the people.
