After fighting with all his might, he didn’t make it. And the news shocked the whole world, including the world of tennis, of which he was a great fan. Sinisa Mihajlovic passed away on Friday, December 16 at the age of 53, leaving behind her wife Arianna and their six children.
A battle that ultimately turned out to be fatal for the former soccer coach, who had been fighting (since July 2019) for some time against an aggressive form of leukemia. The Serbian-born fighter had initially beaten the disease, but it returned in March 2022 and took a bitter toll on him.
According to the media, he had been hospitalized since Sunday the 11th for an infection that immediately worsened because his immune system was compromised by the disease itself and the strong treatment. The situation worsened as the hours and days passed, until hospitalization was inevitable.
His condition did not improve and on Friday he passed away. An almost sudden death, since Sinisa -reports Repubblica- had been talking to her friends about plans for the future and her desire to see matches in Italy and Europe again.
Mihajlovic has been a tennis fan and has been a guest at various events over the years. His presence at the 2016 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, in which he took a really nice selfie with Novak Djokovic, has remained to be remembered.
Both have never hidden their great friendship: a special understanding, with Sinisa always cheering and supporting the Belgrade-born champion. In January, Sinisa had also defended Nole on the Australian Open issue, declaring at a press conference as Bologna coach: “For me Djokovic is the first victim, not the main person responsible for this episode.
I also believe that everything should be resolved internally, between the State of Victoria and the central government. Ridiculous farce his stay at the hotel. However, it could bring to light the conditions in which the refugees live, which do not seem the best.”
Mats Wilander opens up on Djokovic
Mats Wilander defended Novak Djokovic: “There is more showmanship in professional tennis now, and the showmanship of emotions is what attracts people in front of their screen in general.
So I like that side. Djokovic has to deal with the gaze of millions of people all the time, except during a game when it’s just him and another person. He exchanges with this person, and this exchange includes his emotions, his thoughts and his physical state.
So I don’t take anything special from it, except that the guy is an absolute physical beast, and emotionally he’s also an animal on a tennis court. It’s fantastic!“, underlined the former world number 1, consultant for Eurosport.
