On Sunday, Novak Djokovic left the Rod Laver Arena under whistles and a little upset. The Serbian had decided not to respond to Jim Courier to comply with the traditional post-match procedure on the court. A retaliatory measure against Channel 9, official broadcaster of the tournament in Australia, and its star journalist Tony Jones. At the same time, Djokovic was at the microphone of Barbara Schett, live on Eurosport. He found a smile again. And his oldest supporter.
The story begins last week. Matteo Zorzoli, Eurosport journalist covering the Australian Open in Melbourne, meets Janola Stoika. This Slovak tennis fan is Novak Djokovic’s oldest supporter. He met him here, in Melbourne, in 2005, during the Serbian’s very first participation in a Grand Slam tournament. He predicts a great future for him, tells him that he is convinced of his talent and that he will win many major titles.
Djokovic did the job against Lehecka: the big format on video
Video credit: Eurosport
The hunt for Jan
“I was watching all his matches and I was like, ‘This guy is really good.’ There were no fans from Serbia at the time to cheer him on, I was his only fan“, laughs Jan in front of the Eurosport cameras. The least we can say is that this enthusiast from Slovakia had a hollow nose. “Afterwards, my wife and I tried to continue following him and see him again but it became impossible, there were so many people around him and so many fanshe says. 2005 was far away and he was no longer the only fan of Novak, who had become the Djoker, had become too big.
But it turns out that the man with 24 Grand Slam titles has a memory. On January 15, Eurosport Italy published a tweet with a video of Matteo Zorzoli explaining that he had found the trace of Janola Stoika, Novak Djokovic’s first historical fan. The latter obviously got wind of the story. He then contacted Eurosport to say that he would like to meet him but the man seemed to have completely disappeared from circulation. For several days, the Italian journalist from Eurosport will struggle to get his hands on him. He will finally succeed, and the reunion is organized directly after the round of 16 won by “Nole” against Jiri Lehecka. Without telling him anything, obviously.
-“Oh my god, it’s good to see you again“, reacts the champion when he sees Jan Stoika and his wife. He puts on the T-shirt given to him by his oldest supporter, with the printed photo of a young Djoko, aged 17, with Jan from 2005. “He has supported me for 20 years. He’s my very first fan. The first time I met him and his wife was when I qualified for the main draw at the Australian Open in 2005, Djokovic will say during his press conference. It was quite a surprise for me, during my interview on Eurosport. They had everything organized. I’m really happy to have seen him again, he gave me a t-shirt. It was nice.”
I also recommended him to take Marian Vajda as his coach
Jan and his wife were able to attend the match against Lehecka on the Rod Laver Arena, in an excellent position. Coming out of his press conference, Novak Djokovic invited himself to the show of our colleagues from Eurosport Italy on digital, “Schiaffo al Volo”, in the company of Matteo Zorzoli. “Thank you, thank you!, launches Djoko the polyglot in Italian. This guy here (Matteo Zorzoli) helped me find a fan who has been following me for 20 years. His name is Jan, he comes from Slovakia. I met him twenty years ago when I qualified here for my first Grand Slam here in 2005. Thank you all, thank you, hello to all of Italy, ciao guys!“
Jan Stoika probably told a lot of people for years that he told a 17-year-old kid that he would become a huge champion. Now everyone believes it. “I told him from the beginning, at the time, he said proudly into Barbara Schett’s microphone. Novak Djokovic, arm around his shoulder, nods, hilarious.
“I also recommended him to take Marian Vajda as his coach, because it was the coach that suited his personality“, he adds. “Is that why you took Vajda?Babsi Schett asked Djokovic.Absolutely, 100%“, replies the latter. Marian Vajda will effectively become Novak Djokovic’s coach from 2006 and will remain until 2021, apart from a one-year interruption in 2017-2018. For Janola Stoika, this Sunday will remain an unforgettable memory. The reward for 20 years of loyalty.
