Hours after finding out his beloved grandfather, Vladimir, had died,
Novak Djokovic battled back from a one-set deficit to defeat Alexandr
Dolgopolov at the Monte Carlo Open, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. The world No. 1 was
on a practice court earlier in the day when he received the news and
left the court in tears.
Djokovic had lived with his Vladimir during the 1999 bombings in
Serbia and credited him with having a great influence on his career.
After his win in Thursday's third-round match, Djokovic raised both
hands to the sky and wept.
A recent "60 Minutes" piece
included a clip of Novak visiting with his grandfather at his apartment
in Belgrade. The world No. 1 spoke about how his grandfather, parents,
brothers, aunts and uncles lived in the two-bedroom flat during the
78-day campaign. Cameras showed the basement bomb shelter where they'd
retreat when air raid sirens sounded.
Last month, Djokovic tweeted about his grandfather's influence
after a win in Miami. "I wanted to dedicate this title to my
grandfather Vladimir, who is always sending me lots of positive energy,"
he wrote. "He is my hero and a fighter. He thought [sic] me since i was
young to never give up."
Source: Yahoo!!
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