Serbia
Europe · Country #87
Did you know?
Serbia is home to one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited cities — Belgrade, which has been lived in for over 7,000 years.
My Experience
A friend from my junior tennis days, Tara, invited me to visit her in Belgrade. Although we had never been especially close, we’d stayed in touch over the years, and she generously showed me around her hometown. Of all the European capitals I’ve visited, it may be the most underrated. Visiting in the summer, the city was full of energy, with cafés and restaurants packed late into the evening. Tara introduced me to several of her friends, all tennis players themselves, and we spent hours talking over drinks.
Tara also took me to the Novak Tennis Center, built by Novak Djokovic and his family in 2009. As a lifelong Djokovic fan, it was special to visit a place so closely connected to his career. Knowing he grew up in Serbia during the Yugoslav Wars before becoming one of the greatest tennis players of all time made the visit even more meaningful. Seeing the next generation of Serbian kids training there was a reminder of how one person’s success can inspire an entire country.
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