Novak Djokovic is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time and unquestionably the best that Serbia has produced. The man with 24 Grand Slams, however, looks to be in the twilight of his career and it remains to be seen who’ll be taking over the torch of Serbian tennis from him.
We discussed that with ex-pro Viktor Troicki, while he was in Copenhagen, captaining the Serbian Davis Cup team. Troicki, who achieved a career-best ranking of 12, believes the future of Serbian tennis is in good hands with players like Hamad Medjedovic and Miomir Kecmanovic.
“Medjedovic, for me, is one of the most talented players on tour”
Troicki had high praise for Medjedovic who’s a rising star in his own right. Troicki labelled him as one of the most talented players on the tour, pointing to his Next Gen Finals triumph in 2023.
“Medjedovic is, for me, one of the most talented players on tour. He won the Next Gen Finals, and he has the abilities and the mindset to achieve great things. He has an amazing serve, and he can and will cause a lot of players some trouble.”
Troicki adds that having a mentor in the form of Djokovic is great for Medjedovic and he has to deliver with all the backing that he has.
“We can’t say much about what he will achieve in the future, but he has the potential to do great things. Novak has been his mentor and has helped him a lot, also financially. You can’t get a better mentor than Novak, but now it’s up to him.“
Kecmanovic is a different kind of a player
About Kecmanovic, Troicki pointed out his playing style is different as it’s based more on his physical and mental strength. He also gave his performance at the Australian Open as a great example, where he lost to Holger Rune in a five-set thriller in the second round.
“Kecmanovic is a different type of player, but his physicality and mentality will make him achieve great things. I think he has the level and potential to compete in the second week of a Grand Slam, and we saw that he almost won against Rune in Australia.“
Troicki isn’t afraid for Serbian tennis in the event of Djokovic’s retirement, reiterating his confidence in Medjedovic and Kecmanovic. That being said, he remains realistic about expectations and doesn’t overhype them.
“The future of Serbian tennis looks really good. Of course, Novak won’t play forever, but we have some great players, so I think Serbian tennis is in really good hands. It will be too much to expect that someone will reach Novak’s level, of course. That’s not going to happen.
“We have a good mix. Younger players with a great potential, but also very experienced guys still. Let me say it this way, I am not worried when Novak decides to retire one day, however I hope we will see him for many years to come.
“And yes, I think for sure that both Kecmanovic and Medjedovic have the potential to become way better than I was, haha.”
Kecmanovic is currently competing in the ATP Delray Beach tournament this week, and is priced at 9/1 with bet365 to come out on top in that competition, which is already in the quarter-finals stage. One of the best tennis betting sites to use is bet365, as they have a range of tennis markets available, as well as having live streaming on all ATP events.
