Novak Djokovic’s 2025 season ended with a new title in Athens on November 8, marking the 101st of his remarkable professional career. The Serbian tennis player, ranked world No. 4, chose to skip the ATP Finals – an annual end-of-season event bringing together the year’s top eight players in Turin, Italy, through Sunday, November 16. Nevertheless, he remained the subject of much discussion, having become the target of fierce criticism from Serbia’s nationalist president, Aleksandar Vucic, who has ruled this Balkan country with an iron fist since 2014, as well as from pro-government media.
Djokovic, a true national idol who was long seen as being close to Vucic, had already taken a stand against the government by criticizing the highly controversial Rio Tinto lithium mine project in western Serbia in 2021 and 2022. But the break became complete after Djokovic repeatedly voiced support for student protests that erupted following the collapse of the awning at the newly renovated Novi Sad train station (northern Serbia) in November 2024 – a tragedy widely blamed on corruption, which killed 16 people, including a 6-year-old child.
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