Novak Djokovic is set for a fresh start by swapping his $11.5 million mansion in Marbella, Spain in favor of a villa in Greece as he prepares for life after tennis
Novak Djokovic is reportedly set to relocate to a luxury property in Greece that once belonged to the owner of the European basketball team Panathanaikos.
Reports suggest that Djokovic is leaving his $11.5 million mansion in Spain for a new home in Athens. Although Djokovic is preparing for Wimbledon, which begins on June 30 and ends in mid-July, it’s his off-the-court moves that have made headlines this week.
Greek publication Proto Thema reported that the Serbian tennis icon has decided to move to Greece as part of his post-retirement plans. Djokovic is said to be interested in a luxury property in the north of Athens, near Marousi, which Serbian outlet Blic reports was once the villa of Dimitris Giannakopoulos, owner of the well-known Athens-based basketball team Panathanaikos.
Djokovic recently had lunch with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and businessman Petros Stathis, during which he was granted a ‘Golden Visa’ allowing him five years of residence in the country.
It comes after the former world No. 1 found himself in a political dispute with the Serbian government, having expressed his support for student protests against President Aleksandar Vucic.
Djokovic, who has a net worth around $240M, is now looking to trade Serbia and his luxury residence in Marbella, Spain, for Greece – one of his favorite destinations.
Local reports initially claimed that the 38-year-old was in the market to purchase the Marousi villa, having even scouted out schools for his kids. However, Blic has contradicted that by saying he only intends to rent the house, having agreed to pay eight rents in advance in order to get a better price.
Blic quoted an unnamed friend of Djokovic’s to have said: “The house is close to the metro station, relatively new, has its own natural gas heating and a parking space. Since he had a lot of difficulty finding an apartment, he agreed to pay the rent in advance.”