Djokovic Interviews in Spanish, wins the hearts of the Argentines
During yesterday’s farewell to Argentine tennis superstar Juan Martín del Potro, Novak Djokovic chose to give his interview in Spanish. While his Spanish isn’t perfect, kudos to Djokovic for embracing the local culture.
Djokovic is no stranger to languages. In addition to Serbian, he speaks Portuguese and French fluently and has knowledge of Japanese, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese. Despite not being fully fluent in Spanish, he managed impressively well during the interview, with occasional help from Del Potro to express his thoughts.
What stood out wasn’t his grammar or vocabulary but his genuine effort and love for language and culture. Over the years, Djokovic has picked up languages through immersion as he played around the globe. By speaking Spanish, he connected more deeply with Argentinians and Spanish speakers worldwide than he could have by using English.
Bravo, Djokovic, for reminding us that cultural awareness goes beyond words—it’s about the heart behind them.