Jelena Genčić
| Country (sports) |
 Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
November 9, 1936 Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||
| Died |
June 1, 2013 (aged 76) Belgrade, Serbia | ||||||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||||||
| Professional majors | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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Jelena Genčić (Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Генчић, pronounced [jɛ̌lɛna ɡɛ̌nt͡ʃit͡ɕ]; 9 October 1936 – 1 June 2013) was a Serbian tennis and handball player and coach. In the 1970s she became a junior tennis coach and was later credited for playing a major role in the early development of numerous top class professional players and future grand slam champions. Among the players she discovered and coached are Monica Seles, Novak Djokovic, Goran Ivanišević, Mima Jaušovec, Iva Majoli, and Tatjana Ječmenica.
Jelena Genčić's pupils collected 24 Grand Slam single titles: Novak Djokovic 12, Monica Seles 9, Goran Ivanišević 1, Mima Jaušovec 1 and Iva Majoli 1.
Early life and education
Born as one of seven children to Serbian father Jovan and Austrian mother Hermina, Jelena came from a prominent Serbian family. Her grandfather Lazar Genčić studied medicine in Vienna and became Serbia's first surgeon and ran a hospital. In World War I he held the rank of General in the Serbian campaign.[1] Her great uncle Đorđe Genčić was the interior minister in the cabinet of Nikola Pašić and one of chief conspirator of the Serbian May Coup.
She graduated in art history at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy.
Career
Sport
Genčić was a tennis and handball player. After retiring in the mid-1970s she became a tennis coach, discovering and coaching Novak Djokovic, Monica Seles, Goran Ivanišević, Mima Jaušovec, Iva Majoli, and Tatjana Ječmenica.[2]
Media
Genčić worked as a television director at the state-owned television network TV Belgrade that eventually transformed into Radio Television of Serbia.
References
- ↑ Jelena Genčić: Otkrila sam novog Novaka Đokovića;Blic Žena, 9 May 2010
- ↑ Novak Djokovic thrashes Grigor Dimitrov in French Open;BBC News website, 1 June 2013