Zivojinovic overcomes Djokovic, wins another term in office

Jan 26, 2011, 10:02 GMT

Belgrade - Serbian tennis organization chief Slobodan Zivojinovic won another term in the office despite attacks led by the family of the nation's top star Novak Djokovic.

In a tumultuous session of the Serbian Tennis Association (TSS), which capped a six-week campaign dominated by mud-slinging, Zivojinovic won a vote boycotted by supporters of Djokovic's father, Srdjan.

The marathon TSS meeting ended shortly before midnight Tuesday, after coming close to fistfights on several occasions.

Djokovic led his supporters out of the meeting before the vote for the president, insisting that legal procedures had been violated. Earlier he said the TSS leadership 'has no clue about tennis' and accused it of 'stealing laurels' from Serbia's best players.

The fight for the TSS leadership broke out in early December, virtually a day after Serbia's fairy-tale win over France for its first Davis Cup title.

Srdjan Djokovic then took the credit from the TSS for the historic victory, insisting that it was the player families who went through hardship to provide training for their children.

He and other critics focused on the lack of basic tennis facilities in Serbia, a situation they said was hidden behind the successes of Djokovic, Janko Tipsarevic, Viktor Troicki, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic.

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