Nenad Zimonjić, Tennis Player

The aforementioned “obstacles” are minor inconveniences for him. During his career, he has grown accustomed to facing “bumps in the road”, strong rivals, injuries or a lack of money and support. He overcame all of them on his not-so-easy route to the top. In the end, his belligerence and unbreakable and winning spirit are not surprising at all if we consider that Zimonjić is a descendent of Bogdan Zimonjić, a brave Serbian rebel from Herzegovina, “whose sword and rifle the Turks recoiled from in the 19th century,” as it is written in one of the biographical works devoted to this historic figure. Famous genes, coupled with incredible talent, hard work and tremendous perseverance, turned Nenad Zimonjić into a modern sporting crusader, who has managed on several occasions to take the Holy Grail of doubles tennis: the Championship Trophy at Wimbledon.

– Duke Zimonjić, who you mentioned, originated from Gacko in Herzegovina. Several families moved away from that area and one of them went to the area around Vučkovica near Kragujevac, where my family is from, and the others moved to the vicinity of Čačak. My mother is from Lika (now Croatia), from Divoselo near Gospić. I hope that I inherited the best from both of them – says Zimonjić at the start of this interview for CorD, speaking in the relaxed atmosphere of the El Toro Restaurant on the Sava promenade.

During a long and fruitful career Nenad has won over 50 doubles trophies, including titles at Wimbledon, in 2008 and 2009, and at Roland Garros in 2010, and the finals of the ATP Masters in 2008 and 2010, which includes the participation of only the world’s top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams. In mixed doubles, he has won the Australian Open, in 2004 and 2008, Roland Garros, in 2006 and 2010, and Wimbledon in 2014.

One of his biggest successes is certainly the fact that, along with partner Nestor, Zimonjić officially became a member of the world’s number one doubles team by winning the final Masters tournament in 2008, while Nenad was named the world’s number one doubles player in the individual ATP rankings. Along with the Serbian national team, he became a Davis Cup world champion in 2010 and he is also the record-holder for the number of appearances for the national team.

It is simply impšossible to imagine matches of the national team being played without Zimonjić, who, just like as a doubles ace, has smashed the hopes of many national team opponents, from the United States to France, Australia and other major powers. Nenad will find himself in the team again in March this year when Serbia hosts Kazakhstan.

You will play in Belgrade’s Pioneer Hall, where you watched your first live matches in this competition as a boy of 12 or 13?

– Yes. Some 26 years have passed since then, but I remember that our team claimed victory. The players included Goran Ivanišević, Bruno Orešar, Slobodan “Boba” Živojinović. The atmosphere was fantastic. I can barely wait for that moment when we go out on the court in the hall, where I have spent much time training, doing fitness and conditioning training with Zoran Grbović, watching many sporting events and listening to the roar of the fans. Many memories link me to Pioneer Hall and I’m glad that it is from right there that we will be starting our journey towards a new trophy. I only hope that I will be sufficiently ready, considering I have a finger injury. However, the recovery is heading in the right direction and I believe everything will be fine.

It is a little known fact that you have represented the country in the Davis Cup since 1995, so 21 years, and that we could count the number of matches you’ve missed on the fingers of one hand?

– The only times I’ve missed out on the Davis Cup have been due to injury. Quite simply, the national team is sacred to me and I have always responded whenever my country needed me. This is not some phrase: it is really an honour for me to be there for Serbia, to help as much as I can, to bring victory in the Davis Cup and provide my contribution. That’s also how it will be against Kazakhstan.

The Olympics is the priority for the second part of the season, at which you will play with Novak Đoković and Jelena Janković.

Almost everything this season will be secondary compared to success in Rio. If I manage to win a medal at the Olympics it will be the crowning glory of my career. I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal

– Of course, I’m not hiding the fact that almost everything this season will be secondary compared to success in Rio. If I manage to win a medal at the Olympics it will be the crowning glory of my career. I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal. As you said, the plan is for me to play with Novak in the doubles and with Jelena in the mixed doubles. I’ve played with Novak already, in Beijing in 2008, where we were unlucky and lost in the first round. But this time we have a much better chance of pushing through to the finals. Of course, the competition will be extremely tough, with a lot of good teams playing, but I truly believe in our quality. I will give my all to be fully prepared for the competition and to try to achieve the expected result.

On your “voyage” across the Atlantic, en route to realising your dreams and goals, you will receive get a strong tailwind from your wife Mina, daughter Luna and son Leon. You have always emphasised proudly that you draw strength and motivation from your family.

– The support of my family means a lot to me, both in the moments when things are going well and even more so when I am affected by bad luck. Successes become more beautiful and significant in every sense, while failures are overcome more easily with the family at your side. Without them, I would not be who I am. I would particularly highlight Mina, my love, strength and support. I travel a lot, so she is left to deal with many commitments regarding the children and other things, but she has proved herself to be great at dealing with all of that, both privately and on the business front, where she is also successful. It is thanks to her that I have managed to devote myself completely to tennis. Mina is everything that I wanted my wife and the mother of my children to be. Luna and Leon brought us even closer together; we enjoy family life together and enjoy ourselves the most when we are all together.

That cult of the family, which still exists in Serbia, has almost disappeared in the West. How do you manage to hold it all together?

– One of the advantages of our sport is that we travel a lot and have the opportunity to see how other nations live, and how they mutually function. I try to take on the best of all of them. On the one hand, it’s nice when children are independent at an early age when they can take care of themselves from the age of 17, which is often the case in Western countries.

On the other hand, I also like that connection of ours, that intimacy and the relationships we have in Serbia. The support of my family has meant a lot to me personally, first from my parents, Mirko and Nevenka, then brother Igor, but also my aunts, cousins and some members of my extended family.

Tennis is a specific sport in which you travel a lot. We are often absent from home, which makes it a challenge to create the right balance in maintaining family relationships and friendships. The key is understanding. I hope that I’m successful in that, as much as that’s possible at this time.

You mentioned friends. Who do you hang out with the most beyond tennis?

– That’s a wide range of people of differing profiles. It doesn’t matter whether they’re friends from childhood, school or tennis. Through tennis and my travels, I have met many friends and I try to maintain those friendships. We most enjoy visiting each other at home, in a quiet environment. Considering that our wives are excellent cooks, we have no need to go out regularly to restaurants in order to see each other – says Nenad jokingly.

We are often absent from home, which makes it a challenge to create the right balance in maintaining family relationships and friendships. The key is understanding. I hope that I’m successful in that, as much as that’s possible at this time

And when it comes to friends from tennis?

– I mostly hang out with Janko Tipsarević, Novak Đoković and Viktor Troicki. We have spent many beautiful moments together. We are always in contact with and supporting each other. There are also lesser-known tennis players with whom I still keep in touch, and I’m proud of all of these friendships and our camaraderie.

You spent the recent New Year’s and Christmas holidays in Belgrade for the first time since 1997.

– It was really nice for us. Of course, like all children, mine also believe in Santa Claus and believe in all that New Year and Christmas magic. Most of the organising is done by Mina. She’s extremely creative and has a lot of patience and willingness. She enjoys the fact that we are making their childhood really enjoyable and that we prepare for some important events, such as birthdays and holidays, in the right way. On the other hand, due to my frequent trips, it doesn’t matter much to me whether we have some special occasion to celebrate, whether that’s a birthday or holiday; for me, every moment spent with my children is pure enjoyment.

Are you a strict father; how do you raise Luna and Leon?

– We are trying to emancipate them, to ensure they understand true values, that they know and share. They are twins, so the rivalry between them is ever-present. When you buy a toy for one child, then you have to buy the same toy for the other. There is no discussion about that. But that is all a process, both for us, as parents, and for them. We all learn together, from one another. We try to teach them what they can do and what they cannot do; what is good and what is not. They will construct themselves; we are not moulding them. However, I would say that I’m a little stricter than Mina, but it’s not like she lets them get away with anything – says a cheerful Nenad.

Tell us what the life of a professional tennis player looks like. Is it all luxury, top-class hotels, elite clubs, or is there another side that exists?

– Tennis is like any other profession. For those who are at the very top, in the first 10 or 15 in singles, a lot of things are at another, higher and better level than for the rest. Of all those who are engaged in tennis, only 150 to 200 professionals on ATP tour can earn a living from this sport, and what about the others? Look at how many people are engaged in tennis. Tennis, however, offers some other options for young people, such as gaining scholarship that enable study in the U.S., or by engaging in tennis in other ways you can become a coach or manager.

When it comes to infrastructure, there are various levels of tournaments, the biggest of which are by far the best organised, while the challenger and futures tournaments are very different in everything, ranging from wages to the hotels where players stay and the surroundings. You should know that the costs are extremely high, and the most are set aside for travel, coaches and food.

For example, of total prize money won in one tournament how much does the player end up retaining?

– I would say perhaps half when you immediately make reductions for income tax and salary expenses, both personal expenses as well as those of the trainer, the entire team and the family if they are travelling with you. You need to secure accommodation, food and some other basic needs for everyone; the bigger the team, the higher the costs. Again, on all of these trips, we mostly eat at restaurants, since we are not located in apartments or houses where we could cook or have someone cook for us, so you have to eat in restaurants. Those are major expenses. Airline tickets, despite all of this, are the greatest expense.

Considering that we are obliged to take the most expensive, open tickets because we never know how we will go in a tournament, and as soon as we lose we have to move on since we must adapt for the next tournament. Again, if we train somewhere indoors during winter, and then we go somewhere to play outdoors, we must arrive in that city at least five days before, in order to acclimatise to the new conditions. During that time we cover our own costs for food, accommodation etc. That’s an area where we have a lot of costs on an annual basis. However, it’s good if you go a long way in a big tournament because in that way you can compensate for a lot of those costs and end the year with solid income again.

When it comes to food, do you have clear nutritional rules about what you eat before and after training or on the eve of a match?

– Of course, especially in the period when I’m training. I try to be moderate in food, and for me, there’s none of that typical Serbian overeating and then being left only with the option of lying down and sleeping, because you’re incapable of doing anything else. On the other hand, I cannot take the risk of trying something new the day before a match or on match day. I have had the opportunity to try a variety of dishes throughout the world and I enjoy Italian, Japanese, Chinese and French cuisine. However, the food at home is the best. My wife Mina is an exceptional cook. Everything she makes is fantastic: stews, pasta, risotto, fish, meat, some of our local dishes, beans, moussaka, sarma.

For those who are at the very top, a lot of things are at another, higher and better level than for the rest. Of all those who are engaged in tennis, only 150 to 200 players can earn a living from this sport, and what about the others?

Returning to tennis, one gets the impression that a lot of the ATP tour is secondary to the singles, ranging from TV broadcasts to sponsors and impact. Doubles seems to be left in the shadows. Why is that so?

– Everything depends, from tournament to tournament. The only one that stands out in that respect is Wimbledon. There all doubles matches are very well attended, with the stadiums full. However, our matches at the final Masters in London are also followed by many people. The Davis Cup also attracts great attention, because a point on the second day can often prove decisive. As for the rest, it is as though doubles simply has not been given its chance, with no one has been willing to take the risk; people are afraid of trying something new.

Singles and doubles are different disciplines, different games. In doubles, there are points that can’t be seen in singles and vice versa. It’s a shame there aren’t more doubles on television, because tennis fans are losing out by not being able to watch us very often. In fact, many people prefer playing doubles recreationally and for them, it is somehow interesting to see how professionals do that. I hope this trend will change and there will be more broadcasts of doubles matches during the tennis season. The IPTL has shown how all of this can be attractive and interesting, and that there is room for change.

Ten years ago you fought a battle for doubles, which was on the verge of extinction or marginalisation?

– I was present when doubles went through its greatest crisis. That was 2005. The ATP organisation, which has a board that brings together professionals (3) and directors (3), and the CEO as the seventh member, discussed the situation in tennis and made plans for serious changes. What happened was that tournament directors in an effort to reduce costs, sought the virtually abolishing of doubles competitions, or a reduction in the number of teams able to participate in the competitions. Luckily, we ended up with doubles players uniting and we hired a lawyer and fought for doubles to remain where it is. We succeeded in that, though perhaps not to the extent that doubles deserve, but it’s nice for the sport that something like this still exists.

How do you choose your doubles partners; what are the criteria, both as a person and a player?

– Quite simply, by playing all of these tournaments, from the lower rankings and afterwards, players get to know each other, we watch matches, do a lot of analysis of who has which weaknesses and strengths. On the other hand, you also have to guess how cooperation will look until you try. You never know whether you’ll be a match in term of a style of play, whether that player will compensate for your weaknesses, and vice versa.

However, you tend to pick and change combinations until you find the right one. Playing with different partners is a good thing because it makes players improve constantly. Over time you learn to play all styles, to adapt to different surfaces, the degree of aggressiveness of rivals, defence; you gain more feeling.

In my case, the problem was that at the time I was breaking through there was no one in our country I could play with who would pull me forward. I had to fight alone. That’s the most difficult part of the story. It was necessary for me to be free at the right time when one of the better players had no partner. It was very hard to gain good long-term partner.

At one time you were named by an American tennis magazine as the most successful doubles partner in the world because all the players who played with you achieved better results than with all of their other partners. How much did you enjoy receiving such recognition?

– Thanks for remembering that. Yes, that article arrived from a friend in the U.S. by email a few years ago, in which it was stated that the statistics are convincingly on my side. That’s a great honour and privilege, especially in competition with such aces as Paes and others, who have also changed a lot of partners in the course of their careers.

It’s a shame there aren’t more doubles on television, because tennis fans are losing out by not being able to watch us very often. In fact, many people prefer playing doubles recreationally and for them, it is somehow interesting to see how professionals do that

You have won titles with as many as 16 different partners in doubles, which few people in the history of the ATP tour can boast of having achieved?

– I achieved my best results with Daniel Nestor and we had four years of successful cooperation. When it comes to success at major tournaments, I think we are among the best doubles teams of all time. There were other good partners with whom I have played only once, or those with whom I have won the trophy on the first tournament. There has also been a lot of success in mixed doubles. Each trophy is specific in its own way.

You have gone through a lot in your career, met a lot of people and learned a lot about different topics, in business for instance. If a young man in Serbia asked you where to invest his money, what would you advise him?

– Everyone should invest in what they do best, what they understand best. I’m not in a position, from the perspective of a sportsman, to give out advice just like that and compare myself with someone who has been doing that for over 20 years. However, I think it’s important for the work someone wants to invest their money in to be linked to an activity that that person is involved in, or trained to do.

That’s because they understand that area better and therefore they have some basic knowledge and certainty. In some cases, others who do not have that experience might panic, make mistakes, lack the patience to push through a difficult period when it occurs. That’s why knowledge of a matter provides a certain degree of security, which is important in business and provides the opportunity for greater success.

Is your dream still to open a tennis academy, considering that a lot of things in Serbia happen in cycles, and there is a question over whether tennis will be as interesting to kids in several years as it is today, and thus whether or not that will be a profitable project?

– I really don’t know whether or not that would be profitable. When I dedicate myself to something I like to participate 100 per cent. That’s how it is with my dream about an academy or school of tennis. I’m currently focused on my tennis career, so all these plans will have to wait a while. You cannot do two things in the right way, because managing a tennis school requires time; it is necessary for you to be familiar with the programmes and events, for you to spend enough hours there on a daily and weekly basis. I do not hide the fact that I would like to convey my knowledge to children, especially in Serbia. I think it’s very nice to deal with sport and tennis is one of the most beautiful sports, providing plenty of opportunities for further life. I would certainly recommend it to everyone – concludes Zimonjić.