How the small nation of Serbia battles odds, punches above its weight

Serbian Dinar is weaker than the Rupee (1.5 Serbian Dinar = 1 Rupee), the country has just 8 million people.

Novak Djokovic’s success has of course catapulted tennis to top-tier of sports in Serbia (Source: PTI)

The great Indian excuse for sporting ineptitude — our very own rant against lack of Indian Money and Facilities (IMF) aid when chasing medals — draws a range of chuckles and some hoots from the visiting Serbian team, camped at Bangalore, as they wear the aura of a sporting powerhouse lightly, most notably when talking of tennis.

“We’re a poor country, but a very competitive sporting nation. We don’t have money like the US, China or even India to invest heavily in sport. We hardly have great facilities but we have the knowledge, will and genes and are fiercely competitive, and we pool in everything we can to do well at sport,” Serbian captain Bogdan Obradovic said, insisting that sporting achievements can’t always hinge on money.

State money and cash rewards running into lakhs and crores from provincial governments for medals won at continental championships is also an alien concept. “Money comes if you get to the top, it can’t be the driving motivator in sport nor can it be an excuse for not trying your best. You need to work hard personally for it, find dedicated coaches.

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And tennis is fiercely independent in the sense that it is a professional Tour,” he explains, adding that lack of facilities will never be bought as an excuse in a nation that has always set store on plodding on without complaining, improvising and not settling for lesser glories. War-ravaged and conflict-riven, the Balkan states hardly had the resources to put in place a system like the rest of Europe.

Novak Djokovic’s success has of course catapulted tennis to top-tier of sports, but if you thought it has revolutionised facilities with hardcourts booming all around Belgrade, you’d be mistaken. Doubles specialist Ilija Bozoljac says Djokovic’s impact has been more inspirational than organic.

“It’s not like facilities have suddenly come up because of Novak or that there’s a perfect system like in America or France or Spain. But he has influenced a lot more kids to pick tennis, so numbers have multiplied, and hence success increased. It’s still an individual struggle to start with, and then if you do well on circuit, you get into the Serbian team. Money is a bigger problem than in India,” he says, talking of the Serbian Dinar still being poorer than the Indian rupee (1.5 serbian dinar = 1 rupee), and there being just 8 million people to start with.
Djokovic’s rise, however, has reflected in the higher standards expected of Davis Cup players which means the support staff contingent is up-to-date with rest of the Cup biggies. The Serbs travel with a 15-strong entourage, coaches, doctors, trainers and logistics men, though not a psychologist. “Our Fed Cup team has a mental trainer. But these boys are very stubborn, so a psychologist won’t help. We just hit them on the head!” a team doctor jokes.

“India also has strong talent in your sports – cricket and that tag-contact sport – kabaddi,” captain Obradovic says encouragingly. It needs to find icons in other sports, who will shepherd the future generations like Djokovic did. “Every player on the circuit in Serbia has his own foundation where they support school talent, funding their tennis and academics. We can’t keep waiting for systems to be put in place. We’re too proud a sporting nation to wait for things to happen,” Bozoljac ends.