Serbia announces plans to build Djokovic museum

Following Novak Djokovic’s dramatic gold medal victory at the Paris Olympics, Serbia is set to build a museum dedicated to the tennis great, according to the country’s president.

“We had the first discussions about the construction of the Novak Djokovic museum, which is expected to become another attraction for the city,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday.

Djokovic has long enjoyed the status of a living legend in Serbia, where the Belgrade native and winner of 24 Grand Slam titles ran a tennis academy for years and frequently attends sporting events and meets with officials.  

“Palma de Mallorca has a museum dedicated to Rafael Nadal. We will strive to showcase what Djokovic has done for our country in accordance with his merits and at the same time attract tourists,” Vucic added. 

Vucic said he hoped the museum would be finished before Belgrade hosts the World Expo in 2027. 

The announcement comes just days after Djokovic won a gold medal at the Paris Games on Sunday after defeating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) in what was likely to be his final shot at Olympic glory.

Victory allowed him to join Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf and the watching Serena Williams as the only players to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic singles gold.

Djokovic also became the oldest singles champion since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988 and shattered Alcaraz’s bid to add gold to the French Open and Wimbledon titles he has already pocketed this summer.

Back in Serbia, people gathered in main squares across the country where they waved flags and sang patriotic songs to celebrate Djokovic’s victory.