"An hour later, I couldn't believe what Novak Djokovic had done": Olga Danilovic recalls hilarious reaction to Serb speaking fluent Chinese

Novak Djokovic's compatriot, Olga Danilovic, recalled her hilarious reaction to the Serb speaking fluent Chinese to a reporter. The incident took place during the United Cup in December last year.

During a press conference after Serbia's victory over China in the group stage of the team event. When a Chinese reporter asked him to greet his fans by saying "Happy New Year" in Mandarin, Djokovic impressed the room by responding flawlessly: "Happy New Year. Thank you for your support. I love you, China," even calling the reporter his "good friend."

The reporter, along with Djokovic's teammate Olga Danilovic, was visibly surprised by his Mandarin skills. Danilovic recently recounted the amusing memory during an exclusive interview with CLAY, saying:

"The best story of all was Novak speaking Chinese. That was the highlight. That was something that showed what Novak really is. He always surprises you with something, because he is very open-minded. I had no idea he spoke Chinese."

"He started talking and you could see my natural and genuine reaction. I looked at the reporter who asked him, and she had the same expression as me. It was unbelievable. An hour later I couldn’t believe what the guy had done," she added.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is undeniably one of the most multilingual athletes in the world, with a remarkable command of 10 languages in addition to his native Serbian. These include English, French, Mandarin (Chinese), German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, and Japanese.

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Playing mixed doubles with Novak Djokovic at United Cup 2024 was "fantastic experience," says Olga Danilovic

Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic hug each other at the 2024 United Cup | Image Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic teamed up for mixed doubles at the 2024 United Cup. The duo managed to pull off a 6-4, 1-6, 10/6 win against China's Zheng Qinwen and Zhang Zhizhen, showing strong coordination and resilience throughout the match.

Speaking about playing alongside Djokovic, Danilovic told CLAY that partnering with the "best" tennis player in history came with its own set of challenges, but it was a "fantastic experience" nonetheless.

"It was a fantastic experience to spend time with him and play mixed doubles – and win!" Danilovic said.

The 23-year-old added:

"It’s not easy to play with Novak, because you know you’re playing alongside the best in history and then you want to do better than your best. It was special to be part of the Serbian team. We had a great time."