Medjedovic on Djokovic vs. Alcaraz: 'Every street was empty'

Serbia’s capital city Belgrade is home to roughly 1.6 million people. Historical landmarks, museums and attractions maintain a steady flow of traffic throughout the city. But Hamad Medjedovic will never forget the way Belgrade was during the Paris Olympics gold-medal match when Novak Djokovic secured his career Golden Slam.

“I remember when he was playing, every street was empty. You could only hear the shouting, the voices of people screaming,” Medjedovic told ATPTour.com at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour 100 event in Cary, North Carolina.

“I think in the past few years, sports-wise, I think this is the biggest result that we've had. Everybody was waiting for him to win it. Obviously he did it all, except that one. We were all so happy after he won it.”

Djokovic, who has spent more than eight years as World No. 1 the PIF ATP Rankings, has been instrumental in Medjedovic’s journey to professional tennis. The 37-year-old has offered advice and provided resources to help his countryman, whether it be facilities, coaches or financial assistance.

Medjedovic earned one of his biggest rewards at the end of last season, when he won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which has featured past champions such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. “I think I'm going to remember that week for the rest of my life,” Medjedovic said.

The youngest of four siblings to retired parents, Medjedovic acknowledges that "it will be tough to do anything after Novak", but he too wants to turn his early success into a storied career that inspires Serbian children to begin playing tennis. Perhaps starting with his nephews and niece, with whom Medjedovic especially enjoys spending time when he is home.

“It's one of the most beautiful things that I love to do off the court, spending time with them. One sister has three kids, twin boys who are two years old and a girl that is four years old. They watch sometimes when I'm on TV, my sister puts it on,” Medjedovc said. “It's just so cute seeing the videos after that. I'm melting whenever I see them watching me.”

The four-time ATP Challenger Tour champion suffered a virus at the beginning of the year, keeping him sidelined except for four tournaments in as many months. He has since shown flashes of his best level, pushing Daniil Medvedev to three tight sets in Rome and qualifying for Roland Garros for the second consecutive year.

Medjedovic this week returns to hard courts for the first time since March on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“I think the Challenger Tour is the level that everyone has to go through in order to get to the ATP, the level we are all aiming for. I think the level on the Challenger Tour is pretty scary,” Medjedovic said. “Hopefully I'm going to get to the Top 100 and better so that I can play all the ATP tournaments, but definitely, the Challenger Tour is the key for every player that wants to develop and be a better player.”