NOVAK DJOKOVIC is still haunted by growing up in war-torn Serbia.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has enjoyed an illustrious career over the last 21 years.
He grew up in Serbia during the Yugoslav wars, with his homeland bombed by NATO – an experience Djokovic can never forget.
In an interview with La Nacion, he said: “It’s the fear of the unknown. Not knowing if the next bomb is going to hit your head.
“And so it was every day, the alarms, the sirens that woke us up every night when the planes were approaching.
“When I see these wars and everything that is happening… I lived through the war, my city was bombed day and night for two and a half months.
“It’s a horror. The worst thing anyone can experience. It’s the fear of the unknown.
“I saw dead people and now that I see wars in other parts of the world, I don’t understand.”
Djokovic, 37, also spoke about how the war helped him grow up fast, as his dad gave him responsibilities which included looking out for his brothers.
He continued: “I want to make it very clear – I don’t think anyone should suffer through war to develop mental strength, there are other ways to do it.
“For me, it was a very important part of my development and as a small child, I was forced to grow up. I had to take responsibility and share my father’s role because I was the eldest son and there was no time.
“My father spoke to me as an adult: ‘You have to do this, take your brothers there, go here.’ It was war.”
Djokovic left Serbia in 1999 – the same year the NATO bombs hit – to join, the Pilić tennis academy in Oberschleißheim, Germany.
He spent four years there and also visited academies in the USA and Italy.