Although this theory about the hill overlooking the small town of Visoko, near Sarajevo, has been rejected by archaeologists, it does not displease Djokovic, who has won 21 Grand Slam titles.

After a first visit in 2020 to the "Park of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun", which "Nole" had described as "paradise on earth", he returned there at least four times, alone or with family, always very warmly welcomed by the owner, Semir Osmanagic.

According to the latter, a Bosnian businessman with a passion for ancient civilizations, the idea of ​​building a "regional training center" was born during Djokovic's last visit in March.

“We had agreed to build two pitches in our park for the training of top-level players, one in cement and the other in clay,” Semir Osmanagic announced recently.

Festivities and meetings were organized throughout the day on Wednesday to inaugurate these lands surrounded by trees.

"It's a special day for Visoko, for Bosnia, for the whole region, for tennis, for sport," said the 35-year-old Serbian champion on his arrival on the brand new pitches surrounded by woods, where he was greeted by the applause of several hundred spectators.

Appetite for the esoteric

"The message today is + Peace, sport, future and health +", he said, after playing for two hours in exhibition matches against the Croat of Bosnian origin Ivan Dodig , the Slovenian Aljaz Bedene and the Bosnian Aldin Setkic.

Very relaxed, Novak Djokovic entertained the public by feigning arguments with the referees or trying to bribe them, or even by imitating the services of Boris Becker, his friend and coach for three years between 2013 and 2016.

Semir Osmanagic claims for twenty years to have discovered not one, but several pyramids built by a mysterious civilization near Visoko.

In addition, his teams have been clearing for a few years underground galleries near the "pyramid of the Sun" which he boasts of beneficial effects for the health of visitors, whose number has increased considerably since Djokovic went there.

Djokovic deploys an appetite for the incongruous and the esoteric which has never been denied during his career.

He had already meditated during previous visits on the side of the "pyramid of the Sun" and walked through miles of "energy" tunnels which are, according to a local archaeologist detractor of the Osmanagic theory, the remains of an ancient mine. 'gold.

"Here, we feel the energy, each in their own way. For me, it is one of the most powerful places on the planet in terms of energy, in which I have seen a lot," Djokovic said again on Wednesday in a statement to the press after the matches.

© 2022 AFP