“When I hear someone say bad things about Novak Djokovic, I want to fight with him” - Serbian soccer star Aleksandar Mitrovic

Serbian soccer star Aleksandar Mitrovic has spoken highly of his compatriot Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic is one of the biggest sporting names in Serbia, having won an Open Era record 23 Grand Slam titles. Mitrovic, on the other hand, is the highest goalscorer for the Serbian national soccer team with 52 goals. He has made 81 appearances for Serbia to date, putting him ninth on the list of most capped players for the country.

In a recent podcast, Mitrovic expressed his love for Djokovic and recalled passionately supporting and defending the tennis icon during the 2019 Wimbledon Championships final.

“At the time, in England, when I was supporting Djokovic, I was on the verge of coming to blows. I remember when it was the Wimbledon final, when he played against Federer. Out of 30 players with the staff, only me and the Spanish goalkeeper were for Novak, and 28 of them were for [Roger] Federer,” he recalled. (via welovetennis.fr)

“I started cooking something and some people started insulting me. And now, when I hear someone say bad things about Novak, I want to fight him. I love him like a brother. I feel guilty that people defy him, even in our country,” Mitrovic added.

The 2019 Wimbledon Championships saw Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic lock horns in the final. After a four-hour and 57-minute battle, the Serbian came out on top with a 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3) scoreline. The match holds the record for being the longest final in Wimbledon history. Incidentally, it was also the last Grand Slam final of Federer's illustrious career.

Mitrovic further stated that the more people insult Djokvoic, the more the World No. 2 gets motivated to do well.

“I don't know what words to describe him: a good man, a human being, a fair play player, and they always find something to say. Even now, I get angry when I talk about it. It's the best of all time. The more they insult him, the more it motivates him. This is our mentality,” he stated.

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Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan believes his son will retire in a year-and-a-half

Novak Djokovic is a 23-time Grand Slam champion.

Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan recently spoke about his son's future in Sportal's documentary - 'Novak Djokovic–Untold Stories'.

Srdjan believes that Djokovic will end his illustrious career in a year-and-a-half. He further stated that the sport is physically and mentally demanding, which prevents the 23-time Grand Slam champion from being engaged in other aspects of life.

"And for Novak to slowly but surely… It’s not the end, but in a year-and-a-half let’s say… My wish as a father – I think for some time that he should have stopped working this extremely difficult job," he said.

"It’s physically and mentally challenging and very demanding – with him being fully dedicated for 30 years, and not taking his foot off the gas, there is not much time for other things in life," Srdjan added.

Djokovic is next scheduled to take part in the Cincinnati Open, which will be held in Mason, Ohio, from August 13-20.