"I said the same thing about Monica Seles when she was 8" - When Novak Djokovic's childhood coach told his parents he was a 'golden child'

Monica Seles is among the most prodigious tennis talents the world has ever known, winning her first Grand Slam at the age of just 16. As a teenager, Seles won eight Grand Slams, winning three of the four Majors in 1991 and 1992 while dealing with a Steffi Graf in her prime.

As it turns out, Seles' childhood coach Jelena Gencic saw some of that same potential in a little boy from Serbia named Novak Djokovic. Djokovic would go on to surpass Seles when it came to records, racking up 24 Grand Slam titles overall, more than any other tennis player in the Open Era.

Speaking in an interview with the New York Times in 2010, Gencic recalled how she met Djokovic for the first time at a training camp in Serbia she conducted for children.

Just a couple of days after seeing him play, Gencic revealed, she called the Serb's parents to inform them they had a 'golden child' in their hands -- the same sentiment she had when seeing Monica Seles play as a kid.

“It was the first day of my first year in Kopaonik, and I was doing a tennis camp. And he was just standing outside the tennis courts and watching all morning, and I said: ‘Hey little boy, do you like it? Do you know what this is?”’ Jelena said.

“The third day, I called to see the father and mother for the first time, and I said, ‘You have a golden child.' I said the same thing about Monica Seles when she was 8," she added.

Jelena Gencic also fondly reminisced about seeing young Djokovic get very angry with her at their first interaction, when she wrongly thought his mother had helped him get ready for the camp.

“One racket, towel, bottle with water, one banana, a dry extra T-shirt, wrist band and the cap,” she said. “And I said: ‘O.K., who prepared your bag? Your mother?’ And oh, he was very angry. He said, ‘No, I am playing tennis.”’

The Serb is equally fond of the guidance he received from Gencic and credited her for the same.

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"Pretty much what I know on court, I owe to her" - Novak Djokovic on Monica Seles' childhood coach Jelena Gencic

Tennis - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 9 - Source: Getty

In the interview, Novak Djokovic also shared his thoughts on Jelena Gencic, saying that he owed all his tennis knowledge to Jelena Gencic, the woman who coached him as she did Monica Seles in her childhood days.

"Pretty much what I know on court, I owe to her," Djokovic said.

It was a sentiment shared by Djokovic's uncle Goran as well, who thanked Gencic for helping their family get through difficult times when they had invested all their money in the Serb in the hope that he would turn successful one day.

“Let’s say that Jelena Gencic gave us strength; she’s a serious woman. We were all together as a family, and we had our project. It was not good times, there were sanctions and the war was starting. It was not an easy time for Serbia, for Yugoslavia, but all the money we had we invest in Novak," Goran said.

Monica Seles ended her career with nine Grand Slams to her name, with her career unfortunately derailed after a stabbing incident in 1993. Djokovic, meanwhile, is still going strong on the tour, with the hopes of winning a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam in 2025 to go past Margaret Court's tally.