Novak Djokovic has opened up on what it was prefer to develop up through the NATO bombings of Belgrade. The 22-time Grand Slam champion revealed that he continued to play tennis all through the 78 days of air strikes. And he recalled the evening that he fell whereas operating for shelter following an explosion that awoke his household.

Years earlier than he turned one in all tennis’ biggest champions, Djokovic was dwelling a terrifying actuality in his house of Belgrade. The world No 3 grew up through the NATO bombings and has typically determined to make reference to the battle, discussing his tough childhood in his autobiography and choose interviews.

The Serb has opened up on his terrifying childhood as soon as once more, as he recalled the primary evening that he was woken up by explosions days after the air stikes began on March 24, 1999. And Djokovic revealed that it left him with long-lasting trauma, as he nonetheless feared sudden loud noises.

“It didn't happen on the first night, but on the second or third,” he instructed Corriere Della Sera. “The explosion woke me up, the crash of breaking glass. My mother fell, she hit her head on the radiator, passed out. My father shouted: Nole, your brothers! I wasn't twelve yet but I was the oldest.”

Now 36, Djokovic additionally recalled falling over as he and his household sought shelter at his aunt’s home - a second the place he witnessed the air strikes first-hand. He continued: “I took Marko and Djordje and we went out into the street, there was no shelter in our apartment building, so we ran towards my aunt's building, it was three in the morning, there was smoke from bombs on the street.

“I fell, scraped my hands and knees, looked up and mine were gone, heard a rumble coming towards me, looked up at the sky and saw two F-117s go by. They fired two rockets at the military hospital, which exploded five hundred meters from us, the earth shook, everything was shaking... It was a trauma, even now I'm afraid of sudden loud noises.”

The 93-time title winner did have one fixed through the 78 days of the bombing of Belgrade - tennis. Djokovic continued to play all through the turbulent time, explaining how he would try to keep away from the air strikes to be able to maintain taking part in.

“Fear, the queue for bread, the hour of electricity a day in which my mother had to cook as much as possible.” But dwelling by means of the traumatising time has given Djokovic further drive throughout his profession.

He added: “That war was an additional motivation. Half the world was against us, our country certainly didn't have a good image and I wanted to demonstrate to the world that there were also good Serbs.”