Novak Djokovic set to make Greece permanent home after meeting with minister – Firstpost

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic seems to have taken a big step toward making Greece his family’s permanent home. The 24-time Grand Slam champion moved from Belgrade, Serbia, to Athens last year along with his wife Jelena and their two children, Stefan and Tara. The kids have already started school there.

Initially, the move was described as temporary. In an interview with CNN Greece in October,
Novak Djokovic said the family was still adjusting. “We are, as a family, trying to see how the life goes here, the experience. It’s only been less than two months. So we will see how it goes, but so far, it’s been a very positive experience,” he said.

Since then, things appear to have progressed positively. The world No. 3 has openly enjoyed his time in Greece. He even won his 101st career title in Athens late last year and joined a local tennis club. After recently finishing runner-up at the Australian Open 2026, where he lost the final to Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic returned to Athens and met a local minister.

Djokovic meets Greek minister of migration

Djokovic met Greece’s Minister for Migration and Asylum Thanos Plevris, who shared a photo of their meeting on social media and wrote that it was an honour that the Serbian star wished to stay in the country with his family. This message has been seen as confirmation that Djokovic is considering a permanent settlement in Greece.

“With great pleasure, we welcomed to the Ministry the great athlete and man @DjokerNole⁩. It is an honor for us that he wishes to stay with his family in our country,” Plevris posted on X.

Με μεγάλη χαρά υποδεχθήκαμε στο Υπουργείο τον μεγάλο αθλητή και άνθρωπο ⁦@DjokerNole⁩ . Αποτελεί τιμή μας η επιθυμία του να μείνει με την οικογένεια του στη χώρα μας. pic.twitter.com/5TLrzERIqq

— Θάνος Πλεύρης (@thanosplevris) February 12, 2026

Djokovic’s decision to leave Serbia reportedly came after tensions in his home country. He had shown public support for student-led protests against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić following a tragic railway station collapse in Novi Sad that killed 16 people in late 2024. The
Serbian star even voiced his support for people back home after missing out on the Australian Open title this year.

Although Djokovic has not directly criticised the Serbian government, reports suggested that he initially explored Greece’s Golden Visa programme, which offers residence to non-EU citizens who invest in the country. It will be interesting to see when Djokovic confirms his permanent move out of Serbia.