Djokovic: Funding Cut by 60%, Serbian Tennis Federation on the Brink of Bankruptcy

At the end of last month during the Australian Open, Djokovic disclosed in a Serbian media interview that the government significantly cut the Serbian Tennis Federation’s budget for this year, falling from 80 million dinars in 2025 (approximately 680,000 euros or 4.16 million yuan) to 30 million dinars, a reduction exceeding 60%.

Tennis is a traditional strength for Serbia. Reports indicate that the major budget cuts to tennis stem from an overall reduction in the country's 2026 sports budget. Only football, athletics, swimming, and boxing saw slight increases, while other sports faced various degrees of funding cuts.

Notably, the current president of the Serbian Tennis Federation is Goran Djokovic, who is the uncle of Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion. Some reports suggest that the sharp budget reduction may be related to Goran Djokovic’s support for student sports and possibly linked to criticisms of his nephew’s performance.

Last year, Goran Djokovic faced controversy domestically for backing student sports, which reportedly led to a decline in his popularity in Serbia. In the latter half of last year, he relocated his residence to Athens, Greece, and also moved the ATP 250 tournament from Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, to Athens.

The above photo shows Goran Djokovic, president of the Serbian Tennis Federation.

Last week, Djokovic was in Melbourne participating in the Australian Open, where naturally Serbian journalists questioned him about the budget cuts.

“Yes, it’s much less than last year... We are all trying to find answers. I don’t think I am the right person to ask, but rather the Minister of Sports and the officials. We should ask why this sport, which has been one of the most successful in the past twenty years and one of the strongest brands, producing the world’s finest Serbian ambassadors... why this is happening, I don’t know,” Djokovic said.

Some commentators believe that since the Serbian Tennis Federation’s president is Novak’s uncle, Novak should better understand the complexity of the situation. “Basically, budgets for almost all sports have been cut, as I’ve seen on the list and heard from many people. Some team sports actually received increased funding. Among the cut programs, tennis faced the largest reduction, which will bring the Serbian Tennis Federation to ruin. I’m not in the country, but my uncle is the president, and he told me that this situation could lead to closure and bankruptcy within a few months.”

At the end of this matter, Djokovic expressed some anxiety to the Serbian reporters, saying, “You and others should ask the sports department why this is happening. I have my own thoughts, but it’s better not to say them out loud. I think some things are obvious, but we need to raise this question with the relevant authorities and see what they say.”(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yun Juan Yun Shu)