Tennis great Novak Djokovic says Serbia’s youth movement has created a “sense of pride” across the globe after its stunning election victory against the country’s longtime strongman Aleksandar Vucic.

Vucic conceded defeat on Sunday in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.

At a press conference on Tuesday at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Djokovic was asked about the political news in his home country.

“I’m very happy about it,” Djokovic said. “My deepest respect to the students and young people that have fought, they have shown dignity and incredible resilience the last two years with humongous pressure.

“I have a lot of admiration for what they have done and how they have conducted themselves. They’ve managed to create this sense of pride in all the people, not just in Serbia but abroad as well.”

Djokovic, who lives in Greece, has publicly backed student protests on several occasions.

He added: “The victory is secured and we all now have hopes that our country will be prosperous and that we’ll be enjoying the future that is coming.”

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