Novak Djokovic is known to speak several foreign languages, and he recently explained how that came to be.
Tennis players visit many countries during their careers, and most have above-average language skills simply by exposure. English is a must for any athlete, and depending on their curiosity, tennis players can pick up several more during their careers.
Djokovic is known as a very curious individual who is interested in a broad range of topics. Languages have been a staple of his life since he was very little. He always enjoyed learning new languages and could speak four of them by the time he was 16.
He recently talked about his polyglot journey and how it came to be. He speaks his native Serbian along with English, Italian, Spanish, German, and French. Not all of them are fluent, but he can speak all of them to a decent level and some other languages as well.
“I have loved learning languages since I was a child. I soon realized that if I wanted to pursue tennis, it would be very beneficial to speak several languages because it is a sport that requires constant travel around the world.”
“Even as a junior, I had to travel throughout Europe, go to America, and the Middle East. I left school with a good level of English, which I continued to improve, and I also learned some German, a language I solidified when I trained at the Pilic academy between the ages of 12 and 16.”
Even at 37, Djokovic still works hard on his language skills because it’s simply something he enjoys, and it’s also beneficial to his life ambitions, and on top of that, he just falls in love with some of the languages that he can speak.
“During that time, I met several Italian people with whom I started working, something I have maintained throughout my career. I tried from the beginning to communicate with them in their language, and that’s how I learned Italian because I also loved the language.”
