Novak Palombo’s parents did not have plans for world domination when they named their son after a grand slam tennis legend.
His mother, Ana Marinkovic, was born in Serbia, and she and her husband, Steven Palombo, wanted to give their son a name that honoured his heritage, so Novak Djokovic seemed as good a choice as anyone.
Melbourne’s Novak Palombo is the top-ranked 12-year-old tennis player in the world.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
That decision has proven prophetic, with Palombo – who lives in Melbourne and trains at Melbourne Park most days – now the best 12-year-old tennis player on the planet.
“We loved the name, and Novak [Djokovic] has been an inspiration to a lot of kids and people around the world,” Steven said.
“Our son loved a lot of sports, and was very active as a little boy – he did swimming and soccer, but then he tried tennis, and found a love for it. We never thought it would go this way, but every year, it keeps going to new levels.”
Palombo swept Australia’s 12-and-under singles titles last year, winning the grasscourt and hardcourt championships before claiming the Junior Tour Finals as well.
That performance secured him one of six scholarships from the Alex de Minaur Foundation, along with Ayumi Ito, Emilie Chen (who missed the trip due to injury), Ethan Domingo, Piyushi Bandera and Lucas Han. They received the rare opportunity to train and play in Europe – travelling from Spain to France then Monaco – with de Minaur and some top academies.
Former world junior No.1 Luke Saville was among the coaches who travelled with them.
The good times kept coming for Palombo, who won the 12-and-under singles title in December at the Orange Bowl, one of the world’s most prestigious junior events. He joined the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Coco Gauff on the honour roll.
De Minaur even sent the Des Tyson-coached Palombo, who counts his backhand and mindset as his strengths, a congratulatory video message for his “insane achievement”.
“I was shocked to see him send me a note,” Palombo said. “It’s a very tough tournament, and Alex said it was something that he could never do. It was definitely my best tournament win.”
Palombo just returned from his whirlwind experience with de Minaur and co that ended with him representing Australia for the first time at the Asia-Oceania qualifying stage of the 14-and-under world junior teams event in Malaysia.
He was the youngest player there.
Palombo also has de Minaur’s mobile number these days. He spent two hours one-on-one with the five-time major quarter-finalist at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, where he practised and played matches against members of the Italy-based Piatti Academy.
That exclusive club was the venue for this month’s Monte-Carlo Masters, where de Minaur advanced to the semi-finals.
“Alex brought me into the locker rooms of the Monte-Carlo tournament, and I got to see all the different pros [including Alexander Zverev and Cam Norrie] warming up,” Palombo said.
“I was talking with him, just me and him, for two hours while everyone else was training. It definitely made me feel more grateful that I got to be part of that experience, and I think for next year’s winners, it will be one of the best times of their lives.”
De Minaur, who described the initiative as “one of the most exciting things” he had ever done, wanted to do his bit for the next generation.
Palombo dreams of playing on the professional tennis tour one day.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
“It was just finding exactly how we were going to be able to set this up to help these kids transition towards being a [professional] tennis player,” de Minaur said.
“I was so fortunate to learn so much from so many incredible tennis players in my past, through Davis Cup, through numerous experiences of dealing with some of the Australian greats. As much as there’s a financial side to it … the most important aspect of it is the mentorship; the tips and advice I can give behind the scenes.”
The Palombos know history is littered with would-be tennis champions who could not translate their junior triumphs to the professional tour.
But they are intent on chasing the dream. That has meant making an “enormous” financial sacrifice at the start of what Steven Palombo said was a “very long and complex journey”.
“Novak has worked tremendously hard, and been extremely disciplined from a young age. He’s achieved some significant milestones that put him in good stead to continue his journey – and it’s more than a journey, right?” Steven said.
“It’s his passion, and something that he loves doing every day.
“We’ve poured a lot of money into Novak’s tennis, but we don’t sit here and say, ‘Oh, he’s going to make a million dollars in five years’ … it’s our child following his dream, and we’ve made a deliberate decision to invest in Novak’s future.”
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