Novak Djokovic is a real hero to young tennis stars in Dubai

Top seed and world number one Novak Djokovic took some time out from his practice session on Monday to speak to a group of young tennis stars from UAE Tennis Federation affiliated academies, including CF Tennis Academy ball kids as well as children from Heroes of Hope — the community that aims to support people of determination in sport.

The inquisitive group were in awe of the star tennis player and used this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask him some tennis-related questions.

When asked “Why did you choose tennis over another sport?” Djokovic responded. “Because I fell in love with it, I still have lots of love for the game, I enjoy it a lot, when I see you guys smiling and you telling me how much you enjoy tennis, it takes me back to when I was your age. And it reminds me of how important it is to nurture the love for the game and keep enjoying it, and that’s something I am grateful for today, that you guys reminded me of.”

It seems that this special session was as beneficial for Djokovic as it was for the children.

Following a chat on the lawn, the children joined Djokovic on the famous walk to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium Centre Court past the Hall of Fame where he features four times.

He then had a hit with the kids on Centre Court which included his son Stefan who is also in Dubai as Djokovic enjoys time with his family.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships runs until February 29. For tickets, go to dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com.