"I was close to representing Great Britain instead of Serbia" admits Novak Djokovic
ATP
Novak Djokovic recently revealed that he was on the verge of representing Great Britain while in his early twenties but decided not to pursue the talks of a potential change of allegiance.
Djokovic is a proud Serbian and one of the country's most prominent athletes. But in 2006, the course of tennis history could have dramatically changed had he accepted an offer to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion was the subject of increasing interest in the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which is the governing body of tennis in the UK. He was specifically targeted to play with Andy Murray in the Davis Cup team.
At the time, Djokovic had emerged as one of the best young talents in men's tennis who was destined to challenge the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The World No. 1 would have required at least six years to apply for British citizenship by naturalization, but he would have been able to play for them in the Davis Cup after a two-year residency term.
Following his third-round win over Aljaz Bedene, a naturalized British citizen, Djokovic told reporters he was tempted to switch his nationality and that he understood the desire of those who accept to do so to exploit opportunities. However, he eventually decided against it after speaking with his parents.
"On one hand I like to see a player stay and play for his country obviously. But at the same time I can't judge somebody willing to move to another country because there are different reasons and elements that affect it."
"When I was fourteen, there were some talks with Great Britain but I decided along with my parents to stay in Serbia. I'm happy we collectively made that decision. But there are many athletes around the world that are looking for better opportunities and conditions and I can't judge that."
