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The 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has been awarded the honorary citizenship of Visoko, a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Three days after winning his seventh Wimbledon trophy, Djokovic arrived in Bosnia to inaugurate a tennis tournament in Visoko and took part in exhibition singles and doubles matches.
Mayor of Visko Mirza Ganic presented Novak Djokovic with his honorary citizenship certificate and thanked the Serbian superstar for bringing global awareness about Visoko. In his speech, Djokovic said he enjoyed the event and had a lot of fun on the court. "In a spirit of solidarity, we have sent a message of health, sport and peace to the future," he said.
The Serbian star player was also welcomed by Bosnian businessman and author Semir Osmanagic, to the Bosnian Pyramids of the Sun complex. Here Novak Djokovic told reporters, “Here, we simply feel the energy, each in its own way. For me, this is one of the most energetically powerful region, for tennis, for sport. The message of this day is peace, sport, future and health." Novak also played exhibition matches against Croatian Ivan Dodig, Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene and Aldin Setkic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Former world no. 1 and tennis legend John McEnroe also expressed support for Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, who generally aren’t considered crowd-favourites, particularly when they are playing against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
McEnroe spoke in support of the two players who were booed during the 2022 Australian Open final where Medvedev was defeated by Nadal and the French Open quarterfinal where Djokovic lost to Nadal.
"Medvedev didn't deserve to be booed, nor did Djokovic deserve it at the French Open. When they played, they were booing him when he came out. Novak Djokovic, you may not like him as much as Nadal or Federer, but he's a credit to our game for God's sake. Medvedev, to me, hasn't recovered from the Australian Open final loss emotionally. Not just because he lost, but because of the crowd," McEnroe said.