Danish teenager defeats Novak Djokovic to announce himself on the world stage (video)
Konstantine Georgiev (26) was only nine years old when he beat Novak Djokovic to announce himself on the world stage.
Konstantine Georgiev (26) was only nine years old when he beat Novak Djokovic to announce himself on the world stage. Photo: Reuters Photo: Reuters Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Danish teenager defeats Novak Djokovic to announce himself on the world stage (video) 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
Konstantine Georgiev (26) is just nine years old, but on Tuesday he made a strong impression on his peers when he defeated No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the first round at the ATP’s Australian Open.
A few weeks earlier, Georgiev’s father had to take him to the hospital after doctors discovered that his brain cancer had spread to the hypothalamus, a small structure in the brain that is supposed to regulate bodily functions.
On Tuesday, Georgiev played his first match in two years at the Australian Open. He earned a 3-0, 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 28 seed Djokovic, who is the world’s top-ranked player. Djokovic and his coach Boris Becker have given Georgiev a lot of support since he lost his mom, who died in May, to cancer the same month.
“The atmosphere here is really good,” Georgiev said after reaching No. 7 in the world ranking, according to the International Tennis Federation. “It’s definitely better than last year.”
To find out why, I interviewed his father.
When did you learn about Georgiev’s illness?
“It was not a big secret. It was something we had known for a long time, but we had no explanation
