Novak Djokovic mural defaced in Serbia as tennis star moves family to Greece, exposing deepening rift with homeland

A Novak Djokovic mural has been defaced in his home country, Serbia, after he moved base to Greece with his family recently. The news of the Djokovic Mural being painted black was shared on social media by the artist who painted the mural on a wall in Belgrade.

Djokovic has been spotted in Athens, Greece recently multiple times recently, along with his family, including at a Davis Cup match in Greece. It has been reported that Serbia’s most popular athlete, Djokovic, decided to leave Serbia for Greece after facing a smear campaign by the national media for extending support to protests against President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.

Djokovic had written on social media in support of the protestors after the collapse of a roof at a railway station killed 16 people in Novi Sad last November. As per reports, Djokovic’s children are now studying at St. Lawrence College, a private independent British school in Athens.

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There’s a feeling that the latest act of the 38-year-old’s mural being defaced in Serbia could be linked to his decision to shift base to Greece and may have been done by President Vucic’s supporters.

Djokovic mural defaced in Serbia as relationship sours

The news of the mural being destroyed was shared by the artist Andrej Josifovski, who is known as The Pianist. The mural depicted Djokovic making the “Pump It Up” gestures that he made at Wimbledon 2025, which many saw as a message of support to the protestors in Serbia.

“Imagine that great patriot in an orange jacket and a cap, sneaking around at night, then stopping in front of Novak (YES, NOVAK!) - looking him in the eyes and throwing paint on his face and body," Josifovski shared on Instagram, while also posting the pictures of the defaced mural.

“That’s the fine Serbian youth from the cage who just want to learn how to paint graffiti. We conquered the peak of the bottom long ago, but now we’re heading into the stratosphere.

“Don’t worry, my brother @djokernole, retaliation is coming - but without a mask, in broad daylight, the way we do it.”

It will be interesting to see what happens if the mural is restored, but the defacing clearly hints that the relationship between Serbia and Djokovic is broken beyond repair as long as Vucic remains the President.