Slobodan Živojinovic
Encyclopedia
Slobodan Živojinović is a retired Serbia
n tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. Together with Nenad Zimonjić
he is the only tennis player from Serbia that held the highest doubles ranking. Živojinović is president of Serbia Tennis Federaton.
, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia. He is married to folk singer Lepa Brena
.
in Seoul
, South Korea
, where he was defeated in the second round by France's Guy Forget
.
The right-hander won two career singles titles (Houston, 1986 and Sydney
, 1988), as well as eight doubles titles. He reached his highest singles ATP
ranking on October 26, 1987, when he became the number 19 in the world.
Živojinović's most notable Grand Slam
results were two semifinals. As an unseeded player at the 1985
Australian Open
, he memorably beat John McEnroe
in a gruelling 5-set quarterfinal to reach the semi-finals (where he lost in straight sets to Mats Wilander
). The next year, at the 1986
Wimbledon
semifinal, again as an unseeded player, he lost to Ivan Lendl
in a hard fought five-set match.
Over the course of his career, Živojinović amassed an overall singles record of 150 wins and 138 defeats. He was much more successful in doubles competition, winning the U.S. Open
in 1986 with Andrés Gómez
. That same year, he won three more tournaments. He was ranked as the No. 1 doubles player in the world on September 8, 1986.
.
Though undeniably well-known for his tennis, Živojinović's media prominence, especially in the years since his retirement, also owes a lot to his marriage to Lepa Brena, at one point Yugoslavia's biggest commercial folk singing star. Their wedding on December 7, 1991 was a supreme media event throughout the then still existing Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
. The lavish ceremony took place at Belgrade's InterContinental Hotel with Ion Ţiriac
as the groom's best man. The level of interest in the event was such that Brena's manager Raka Đokić even released a VHS tape of the wedding for commercial exploitation. Their very public relationship has been providing steady fodder for various yellow media
publications ever since.
The couple have two sons - Stefan (born in New York City during May 1992) and Viktor. In the afternoon hours of Thursday, November 23, 2000, 8-year-old Stefan was kidnapped by members of Zemun mafia clan
and returned on Tuesday five days later on the side of Belgrade
-Niš
highway for the ransom
sum reported to be more than DM
2 million.
Throughout 2005 and 2006 there were numerous tabloid reports about Živojinović's supposed infidelity and bad state of his marriage. Finally, in April 2006 he reportedly even moved out of the family home following yet another argument with Brena. Though the reports of a separation were frequent and detailed, the couple still remain together.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. Together with Nenad Zimonjić
Nenad Zimonjic
Nenad Zimonjić is a professional Serbian tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 3 in men's doubles. He is the second tennis doubles player from Serbia to hold the World No.1, after Slobodan Živojinović.-Career:...
he is the only tennis player from Serbia that held the highest doubles ranking. Živojinović is president of Serbia Tennis Federaton.
Personal life
Slobodan Živojinović was born in BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia. He is married to folk singer Lepa Brena
Lepa Brena
Fahreta Jahić Živojinović is Yugoslavian pop-folk singer, better known as Lepa Brena , . Born in Tuzla and raised in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina , she moved to Novi Sad in 1980 to pursue her career in singing. In 1982...
.
Tennis career
Živojinović represented SFR Yugoslavia as the number fifteen seed at the 1988 Summer Olympics1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, where he was defeated in the second round by France's Guy Forget
Guy Forget
Guy Forget is a former French professional tennis player. During his career, he helped France win the Davis Cup in both 1991 and 1996. Since retiring as a player, he has served as France's Davis Cup team captain.-Career:...
.
The right-hander won two career singles titles (Houston, 1986 and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, 1988), as well as eight doubles titles. He reached his highest singles ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
ranking on October 26, 1987, when he became the number 19 in the world.
Živojinović's most notable Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
results were two semifinals. As an unseeded player at the 1985
1985 Australian Open - Men's Singles
Stefan Edberg defeated Mats Wilander 6–4 6–3 6–3 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1985 Australian Open.See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* L = Loser* r. = retired-Final Eight:-Section 1:-Section 2:-Section 3:...
Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
, he memorably beat John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
in a gruelling 5-set quarterfinal to reach the semi-finals (where he lost in straight sets to Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
). The next year, at the 1986
1986 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles
Boris Becker was the defending champion and defeated Ivan Lendl 6-4 6-3 7-5 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1986 Wimbledon Championships, his second consecutive. See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* LL = Lucky Loser...
Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
semifinal, again as an unseeded player, he lost to Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
in a hard fought five-set match.
Over the course of his career, Živojinović amassed an overall singles record of 150 wins and 138 defeats. He was much more successful in doubles competition, winning the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
in 1986 with Andrés Gómez
Andrés Gómez
Andrés Gómez Santos is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 1990.-Career:...
. That same year, he won three more tournaments. He was ranked as the No. 1 doubles player in the world on September 8, 1986.
Singles (2)
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| 1. | November 17, 1986 | Houston, United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Carpet |  Scott Davis |
6-1, 4-6, 6-3 |
| 2. | October 10, 1988 | Sydney, Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Hard (i) | Richard Matuszewski Richard Matuszewski Richard Matuszewski , born September 7, 1964 in Newark, New Jersey, is a former tennis player from the United States.Matuszewski won the Van Nostrand Memorial Award in 1986 and is a four-time All-American. He was named All-American in singles and doubles in 1985 and 1986... |
7-6(8), 6-3, 6-4 |
Doubles (8)
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (1) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Tour (7) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score |
| 1. | July 8, 1985 | Boston, United States | Hard |  Libor PimekLibor Pimek Libor Pimek is a former professional male tennis player.Pimek's best Grand Slam singles result came at the 1987 US Open when he reached the 3rd round... |
 Peter McNamaraPeter McNamara Peter McNamara is a retired Australian tennis player.He won five singles and nineteen doubles titles during his professional career. A right-hander, McNamara reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 14 March 1983 when he became World number 7... & Paul McNameePaul McNamee Paul McNamee is a retired Australian tennis player and prominent sports administrator.-Tennis career:... |
2-6, 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2. | March 17, 1986 | Brussels Donnay Indoor Championships The Brussels Indoor was a defunct professional tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at Forest National in Brussels. It was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit initially and later, for three years, the ATP Championship Series of the ATP Tour... , Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
Carpet |  Boris BeckerBoris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17... |
John Fitzgerald & Tomáš ŠmídTomáš Šmíd Tomáš Šmíd is a former tennis player from Czechoslovakia, who won nine singles titles during his career. In doubles, he won fifty-four titles and was the world's highest-ranking doubles player from December 17, 1984, to August 11, 1985. The right-hander reached his highest singles ATP ranking on... |
7-6, 7-5 |
| 3. | March 24, 1986 | Rotterdam ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the 500 series of the ATP Tour... , The Netherlands |
Carpet |  Stefan EdbergStefan Edberg Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix... |
 Wojtek Fibak & Matt MitchellMatt Mitchell Matt Mitchell born March 16, 1957 is a former American professional tennis player who played from 1979-1987.Mitchell who was born in Berkeley, California. As a junior, he was the number one player in his age group in Northern California every second year from the 10s through the 16s... |
2-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 4. | August 26, 1986 | US Open, New York City | Hard |  Andrés GómezAndrés Gómez Andrés Gómez Santos is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 1990.-Career:... |
Joakim Nystrom Joakim Nyström Joakim "Jocke" Nyström is a former top ten ranked tennis player from Sweden who won thirteen singles titles during his professional career. The right-hander reached his highest singles ranking on the ATP Tour on 31 March 1986, when he was ranked World No. 7 and was also ranked as high as World No... & Mats WilanderMats Wilander Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title... |
4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 |
| 5. | March 23, 1987 | Brussels, Belgium | Carpet | Boris Becker |
Chip Hooper Chip Hooper Chip Hooper is a former tennis player from the United States, who won five doubles titles during his professional career.... & Michael LeachMike Leach (tennis) Michael E. Leach is a former collegiate and ATP Tour professional tennis player who won the NCAA singles championship in 1982 while attending the University of Michigan.-Early years:... |
7-6, 7-6 |
| 6. | March 30, 1987 | Milan, Italy | Carpet | Boris Becker |
 Sergio CasalSergio Casal Sergio Casal Martínez is a former professional tennis player from Spain. During his career, he won three Grand Slam doubles titles, as well as the men's doubles Silver Medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.... & Emilio SánchezEmilio Sánchez Emilio Ángel Sánchez Vicario is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He won three Grand Slam doubles titles and the men's doubles silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games... |
3-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 7. | October 8, 1988 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet | Andrés Gómez |
Boris Becker & Eric Jelen Eric Jelen Eric Jelen is a former tennis player from Germany, who won one singles and five doubles titles during his professional career.... |
7-5, 5-7, 6-3 |
| 8. | February 12, 1990 | Brussels, Belgium | Carpet | Emilio Sánchez |
Goran Ivanišević Goran Ivaniševic Goran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous... &  Balázs TaróczyBalazs Taroczy Balázs Taróczy is a former tennis player from Hungary, who won thirteen singles titles in his career. The right-hander achieved his highest ranking during the ATP Tour on February 8, 1982, when he became World Number 13. He's a six times Hungarain champion... |
7-5, 6-3 |
Team competition titles (1)
| No. | Date | Team competition | Surface | Partner/Team | Opponents in the final | Score in final |
| 1. | May 27, 1990 | World Team Cup World Team Cup The World Team Cup is the international team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals . The tournament has been contested annually since 1978 and is generally considered to be second most prestigious men's team competition in tennis after the Davis Cup.Every year, the eight nations... , Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Clay |  Goran IvaniševićGoran Ivaniševic Goran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous... Goran PrpićGoran Prpic Goran Prpić is a former professional tennis player from Croatia. He played also for, then, Yugoslavia, prior to 1991.... |
Jim Courier Jim Courier James Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open... Brad GilbertBrad Gilbert Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School .... Ken FlachKen Flach Kenneth Eliot "Ken" Flach is a former professional tennis player from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won 4 Grand Slam men's doubles titles , and 2 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles... Robert SegusoRobert Seguso Robert Arthur Seguso is a former professional tennis player from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won 4 Grand Slam men's doubles titles . He also won the men's doubles Gold Medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, partnering Ken Flach. Seguso reached the World No... |
2–1 |
Grand Slam Singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
A | A | A | SF 1985 Australian Open - Men's Singles Stefan Edberg defeated Mats Wilander 6–4 6–3 6–3 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1985 Australian Open.See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* L = Loser* r. = retired-Final Eight:-Section 1:-Section 2:-Section 3:... |
NH | 3R 1987 Australian Open - Men's Singles Stefan Edberg defeated Pat Cash 6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 5–7, 6–3 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1987 Australian Open.See also:# Ivan Lendl # Boris Becker ... |
3R 1988 Australian Open - Men's Singles Mats Wilander defeated Pat Cash 6–3 6–7 3–6 6–1 8–6 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1988 Australian Open.See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* LL = Lucky Loser* r. = retired-Final Eight:-Section 1:-Section 2:... |
2R 1989 Australian Open - Men's Singles Ivan Lendl defeated Miloslav Mečíř 6–2 6–2 6–2 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1989 Australian Open.See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* LL = Lucky Loser* r. = retired-Final Eight:-Section 1:-Section 2:... |
A | A | 0 / 4 |
| French Open | 1R 1982 French Open - Men's Singles Mats Wilander defeated Guillermo Vilas 1–6 7–6 6–0 6–4 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1982 French Open. See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* LL = Lucky Loser* r. = retired-Final Eight:-Section 1:-Section 2:... |
A | 2R 1984 French Open - Men's Singles Ivan Lendl beat John McEnroe in a close five set match 3–6 2–6 6–4 7–5 7–5 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1984 French Open. See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* LL = Lucky Loser* r. = retired-Finals:-Section 1:... |
2R 1985 French Open - Men's Singles The 1985 French Open Men's Singles was won by Mats Wilander, who defeated Ivan Lendl 3–6 6–4 6–2 6–2 in the final.-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below. Mats Wilander is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.-Key:... |
1R 1986 French Open - Men's Singles Ivan Lendl defeated Mikael Pernfors 6-3 6-2 6-4 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1986 French Open. See also:# Ivan Lendl # Mats Wilander # Boris Becker ... |
1R 1987 French Open - Men's Singles Ivan Lendl defeated Mats Wilander 7–5 6–2 3–6 7–6 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1987 French Open. See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* LL = Lucky Loser* r. = retired-Finals:-Section 1:-Section 2:-Section 3:... |
3R 1988 French Open - Men's Singles Mats Wilander defeated Henri Leconte 7-5 6-2 6-1 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1988 French Open. See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* LL = Lucky Loser* r. = retired-Finals:-Section 1:-Section 2:-Section 3:... |
1R 1989 French Open - Men's Singles Mats Wilander was the defending champion, but he was upset in the quarterfinals by Andrei Chesnokov.17-year-old Michael Chang won title, and as such broke the record for the youngest-ever Grand Slam – Men's Singles champion. Among his victories was a defeat of World No... |
1R 1990 French Open - Men's Singles Andrés Gómez defeated Andre Agassi 6–3 2–6 6–4 6–4 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1990 French Open.In Agassi's opinion, as he states in his 2009 autobiography, his defeat in this final was partly due to issues with the wig he was wearing at the time. -Seeds:The seeded players... |
A | 0 / 8 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 2R 1985 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles John McEnroe was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Kevin Curren.Boris Becker won the final 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 against Curren.-Seeds:... |
SF 1986 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Boris Becker was the defending champion and defeated Ivan Lendl 6-4 6-3 7-5 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1986 Wimbledon Championships, his second consecutive. See also:-Key:* Q = Qualifier* WC = Wild Card* LL = Lucky Loser... |
QF 1987 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Boris Becker was the two-time defending champion, but he lost to Peter Doohan in the second round.Pat Cash was the champion, defeating Ivan Lendl, 7–6, 6–2, 7–5. -Seeds:# Boris Becker # Ivan Lendl ... |
4R 1988 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Stefan Edberg defeated Boris Becker 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-2 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1988 Wimbledon Championships.-Seeds:... |
4R 1989 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Stefan Edberg was the defending champion but lost in the final 6–0, 7–6 , 6–4 to Boris Becker.-Seeds:A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.-Finals:... |
1R 1990 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Boris Becker was the defending champion but lost in the final 6–2, 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–4 against Stefan Edberg.-Seeds:# Ivan Lendl # Boris Becker # Stefan Edberg... |
1R 1991 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Michael Stich defeated Boris Becker 6-4 7-6 6-4 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1991 Wimbledon Championships.-Seeds:... |
0 / 7 |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | A | 1R | A | A | 0 / 4 |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 23 |
- A = did not participate in the tournament
- NH = tournament not held
- SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played
Personal
Živojinović was married to Zorica Desnica with whom he has a son Filip. In 1991, Živojinović divorced her and married popular folk singer Lepa BrenaLepa Brena
Fahreta Jahić Živojinović is Yugoslavian pop-folk singer, better known as Lepa Brena , . Born in Tuzla and raised in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina , she moved to Novi Sad in 1980 to pursue her career in singing. In 1982...
.
Though undeniably well-known for his tennis, Živojinović's media prominence, especially in the years since his retirement, also owes a lot to his marriage to Lepa Brena, at one point Yugoslavia's biggest commercial folk singing star. Their wedding on December 7, 1991 was a supreme media event throughout the then still existing Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. The lavish ceremony took place at Belgrade's InterContinental Hotel with Ion Ţiriac
Ion Tiriac
Ion Țiriac is a Romanian former tennis player and businessman. He is also the current owner of the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open.-Sports career:...
as the groom's best man. The level of interest in the event was such that Brena's manager Raka Đokić even released a VHS tape of the wedding for commercial exploitation. Their very public relationship has been providing steady fodder for various yellow media
Yellow journalism
Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism...
publications ever since.
The couple have two sons - Stefan (born in New York City during May 1992) and Viktor. In the afternoon hours of Thursday, November 23, 2000, 8-year-old Stefan was kidnapped by members of Zemun mafia clan
Zemun Clan
The Zemun Clan is one of the Belgrade clans of the Serbian Mafia. The name is based on the base of the clan i.e. Zemun, a municipality of Belgrade....
and returned on Tuesday five days later on the side of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
-Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
highway for the ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
sum reported to be more than DM
German mark
The Deutsche Mark |mark]], abbreviated "DM") was the official currency of West Germany and Germany until the adoption of the euro in 2002. It is commonly called the "Deutschmark" in English but not in German. Germans often say "Mark" or "D-Mark"...
2 million.
Throughout 2005 and 2006 there were numerous tabloid reports about Živojinović's supposed infidelity and bad state of his marriage. Finally, in April 2006 he reportedly even moved out of the family home following yet another argument with Brena. Though the reports of a separation were frequent and detailed, the couple still remain together.