Damir Dzumhur: Novak Djokovic is the best in the world, the best in tennis history

• Tennis News
• Novak Djokovic

Damir Dzumhur called Novak Djokovic "the best in history" and praised the Serb's efforts to organize an ATP event in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This year, the Serbia Open was relocated from Belgrade to Banja Luka due to the ongoing renovations at the Novak Tennis Center.

The Djokovic family - who hosts the tournament - did their best to build a beautiful tennis complex in Banja Luka for this year's tournament edition. Players competing in Banja Luka - including Stan Wawrinka - praised the organization of the tournament.

Dzumhur, the top-ranked Bosnian tennis player, hopes Banja Luka can continue hosting an ATP event in the future. "If the tournament stayed in Banja Luka, it would be a big thing for Banja Luka and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is the first (ever ATP tournament in Bosnia) and if we had a tournament like this in the following years, it would be a great story for our audience and players.

Novak is the best in the world, the best in history, so him coming here is a big deal," Dzumhur said.

Dzumhur wins his opening match and praises Djokovic

On Wednesday, world No 202 Dzumhur kicked off his Banja Luka campaign with a 6-3 6-0 win over Liam Broady.

Against Broady, Dzumhur routinely got the job done and started his Banja Luka run on the best possible way. For Dzumhur, it was his first ATP main draw win in 2023. Dzumhur thinks Banja Luka is sending a positive message and he is hoping for more ATP events across the Balkans.

"I lost points, a place on the list, but this tournament is an advantage for me. I got a wildcard and I want to use it in the best possible way. All the players have already got used to it, even though the tournament was moved from Belgrade to Banja Luka, and it's wonderful that the countries of former Yugoslavia have tournaments like this. Everyone will now want to organize an event like this," Dzumhur said.