Stefanos Tsitsipas recently opened up about a memorable dinner he shared with Novak Djokovic in his hometown of Vouliagmeni, near Athens, shortly after the Serbian legend relocated to Greece with his family in late 2025.
The Greek star, who turns 28 in 2026, described tennis as a highly demanding, individualistic, and often lonely sport. Players are constantly traveling, with little time to settle down or build deep connections with peers, and the future remains unpredictable day by day.
Recognizing a rare opportunity when Djokovic moved to Greece, Tsitsipas invited him for a private two-hour dinner during the first few weeks of the 38-year-old’s new life in the country.
“I obviously invited him. We had a nice little dinner for two hours,” Tsitsipas recalled in a recent interview (appearing on the What’s the Call? podcast and reported across tennis outlets).
Tsitsipas emphasized how valuable the conversation was, expressing genuine curiosity about Djokovic’s experiences.
“I was very curious to learn from him. I’m really curious to learn from his career, from his lessons that he’s learned throughout his career, his medical stuff, all these things that he does,” he said. “And there was a lot of insightful stuff that I got out of it. Very interesting guy to talk to on a deep level. And I really had a lot of fun spending time with him.”
He highlighted the rarity of such moments in tennis, where competitors seldom get to sit down and share openly. Tsitsipas listened intently, absorbing advice from one of the sport’s all-time greats, and hopes for more opportunities to connect in the future.
This encounter comes amid Djokovic’s new chapter in Greece—he has expressed feeling “Greek” while still working on the language—and follows his strong showings in recent events, including the Australian Open. For Tsitsipas, dinners like this provide a boost as he aims to elevate his game and overcome the sport’s challenges.