If Novak Djokovic continues to amaze everyone with his performances on the court at 37, he is no slouch when it comes to expressing himself in several languages.
Known to speak at least four languages fluently (Serbian, English, Spanish, Italian and some French), the man with 24 Grand Slam titles did even better after his second round victory over the Shanghai Masters 1000. Invited to speak on the court, the Serbian tried to express himself in the Shanghai dialect.
And even if he did not seem satisfied with himself in the post-match press conference, his linguistic nerve remains remarkable.
“I think I need to master the basics of the Chinese language first before diving into dialects. I think it was more of an attempt, or I tried to speak Shanghai dialect, but people didn’t react very well to what I said. I said it twice and, you know, until the moderator got on the mic and started talking and I started repeating after him, then it made sense to the people who were listening. It’s not an easy language to master, and I haven’t had much practice in the last five years, I have to admit, so I need to get back into it. I hope that as the tournament progresses, my tennis and my Chinese language will improve. »
Published on Sunday October 6, 2024 at 10:15
