He’s considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, but Novak Djokovic’s net worth doesn’t make him the richest, not quite at least. However, his wealth in 2024 far exceeds how he grew up and his family sacrificed a lot to get him where he is today.
Djokovic was born on May 22, 1987, in Belgrade, Serbia. He began his professional tennis career in 2003 at age 16 but had been playing the sport since the age of four. Just two years later, he made his debut at the Australian Open, though he was defeated in round one. In 2007, he earned his first Masters titles, and a year later, he’d take home the Australian Open singles title, which was the first of many Grand Slam victories since. “It’s not a gift,” he told 60 Minutes in December 2023. “It’s something that comes with work.”
It almost fell apart years ago, though, way back in 2018 when he was defeated by Benoit Paire at the 2018 Miami Masters. “After that match, he wanted to quit,” Novak Djokovic’s wife, Jelena, said during a TikTok discussion with American journalist Graham Bensinger in December 2023.
“He gathered all the members of his team and told them: You know what: I’m done, I’m quitting. We cried and told him that he couldn’t do it, that it wasn’t the right time. He didn’t want to play tennis, and he didn’t even want to see a ball pass in front of him.”
Years later, Novak Djokovic‘s net worth would reflect his incredible career and, hopefully, he’s paid his parents back for everything they sacrificed for him.
Novak Djokovic’s net worth
Novak Djokovic’s net worth is estimated to be around $240 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth and, as of January 2024, he’s earned more money from on-court winnings than any other player in professional tennis history. It doesn’t make him the tennis player with the largest fortune, however. Djokovic is fourth behind Selena Williams, Rodger Federer, and, randomly, Ion Țiriac, who’s a Romanian businessman and former professional tennis and ice hockey player.
In an interview with the Belgrade-based newspaper Kurir from 2013, Djokovic’s father Srdjan explained (translated from Serbian) how tough things were at the beginning of his son’s career. “It was a difficult and risky decision that my wife and I made, no one could guarantee that everything would come back to us. We believed in him, in his toys and human qualities like all parents,” he said.
“I knew that tennis is an expensive sport, unknown to us, I am not an expert to judge its quality. … It was very difficult for me. Although we had a business that brought us money, its expenses were higher. We managed in various ways, first of all, we borrowed money from greengrocers. They charged me up to 15 percent interest on a monthly basis.”
He continued: “There were only two individuals, a friend of my brother who gave 5,000 marks when Novak was 14 years old and told him to pay it back when he had it. Also, a friend of my friend gave me 20,000 marks in a restaurant and said: ‘Srdjan, I know you are struggling, and that Novak is an incredible athlete. When Novak makes a successful career, and even if it doesn’t happen, it’s for his progress in life.’”
Srdjan went on to explain how Diana, Djokovic’s mother, worked “15 hours a day, raised two other sons. We wouldn’t have been able to do anything if the family hadn’t stayed together even in those moments. It happened that in the morning we did not have the most basic needs. We sold all the gold in the house and got 25 percent of the price to live on it for a few months. We lived in rented apartments for 17 years, the landlords kicked us out.”
Djokovic’s career earnings topped $150 million for the first time in July 2021, and, thanks to his win at the French Open, his career on-court earnings topped $170 million in July 2023. He’s also attracted several sponsors. In 2012, Djokovic signed a five-year brand ambassador deal with Uniqlo, worth reportedly $8.7 million.
With 24 Grand Slam titles and more than 400 weeks as the world No 1 among his lift of achievements, Djokovic ruled out the idea of playing until he was 50. “I don’t know, I’m sure my wife wouldn’t be very happy. I am very satisfied with everything I have achieved,” he told Marca in 2023, explaining why he didn’t feel it necessary to chase Rafael Nadal‘s record of 14 French Open titles. “I do not have to look at Rafa’s record in Paris. I have many that I’m proud of and that are part of history. If I were to retire right now, I could only be happy and proud of what I’ve done.”
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