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(CNN) -- Novak Djokovic was only 11 years old and sleeping in his bed in Belgrade when a burst followed by the sound of shattering glass and air raid sirens woke up him. It is March 24, 1999, and the air strikes the Serbian capital indicate the beginning of what would be a 78-day effort from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to try and bring to an end atrocities perpetrated by Yugoslavia's then-president Slobodan Milosevic's troops from ethnic Albanians from the province of Kosovo. Djokovic searched for Djordje, eight-year-old Marko and his brothers, in their pitch dark apartment while Srdjan, his dad, helped his mommy, Dijana, who lost consciousness after hitting her head against the radiator following the explosion. "At 11, I was the big brother," the top-ranked Serb wrote in"Serve to win," his 2013 autobiography. "I had been holding myself responsible for their security since NATO forces began bombing my hometown of Belgrade." READ: Djokovic wins fifth title closing READ: Wimbledon success was'mentally the toughest' of my career Remarkable journey Two years on, the Djokovic that is today 32-year-old is your favorite to win at the US Open, which begins August 26 in New York. Such has been his dominance at the last year, he's clinched four of the previous five slams. 16 majors, only two shy of Rafael Nadal of Spain are held by him, and four behind men's Grand Slam record holder Roger Federer of Switzerland. His journey by Belgrade on the peak of the men's match was nothing short of remarkable. In the introduction of his autobiography, Djokovic explained the odds were heavily stacked against him. "A boy , rising up in Serbia, getting a tennis winner? It was not possible in the best of conditions. And it became more improbable as soon as the bombs started falling," he wrote. READ: Why are smartphones currently holding tennis production back? Bomb shelter In the very first chapter of his autobiography, titled"Backhands and Bomb Shelters," Djokovic vividly recalls the night that changed his life forever. After Dijana recovered awareness, the Djokovic family entered the streets of Belgrade and strove to make their way to the nearby apartment building. Djokovic suddenly found himself fell flat on his face, while the streets rushed , carrying his brothers. "And then it occurred," Djokovic wrote. "Rising up from over the roof of our building came the metal grey triangle of an F-117 bomber." "What happened would never abandon me," he explained. "Even today, loud sounds fill me with fear." The bomber fell over his mind, which broke a hospital building several streets away. "I remember the sandy, dusty, metallic shell from the atmosphere, and how the whole city seemed to shine like a mature tangerine," Djokovic said in his book. The streets covered in light, Djokovic chased after them till they reached the shelter , and seen his brothers and parents at the space. There were about 20 families hiding in the shelter. "There were children crying. I didn't stop shivering for the rest of the night," Djokovic said in his publication. In a 2015 interview with CNN television, Djokovic recalled the bombing campaign, during which he and his family will spend each night at the shelter from 8 p.m., and just had power for a couple of hours each day. "These days are surely something I don't wish for anybody to encounter," he explained. "Two-and-a-half months, each and every day and night, bombs coming to the city. We saw airplanes flying over our minds, and literally rockets and bombs landing half a mile away." 'Magic childhood' Until this dark spring night in 1999, Djokovic had loved what he called into his autobiography, a"magic youth." His dad Srdjan had been a former expert skier and Djokovic started playing tennis at the age of four. Nobody in his family had played with the sport before. Djokovic, who spent substantial sections of his youth in the tiny darkened mountain resort of Kopaonik, where his parents ran a pizza parlor, told CNN television in 2014:"It was kind of like a fate. Something just happened out of the blue pill. That the tennis court was seen by me when I was four, and tennis was seen by me on TV. My father bought me a small tennis racket and that is when I think all of us fell in love with the sport." At age six, he had been spotted in Kopaonik from the late Serbian coach Jelena Gencic, who'd worked with Serbian-born former world No. 1 and nine-time significant winner Monica Seles of the usa. Shortly afterwards, Gencic advised his parents Djokovic has been"the best talent I have seen since Monica Seles." The group would work together for five decades, through which her most life lessons were taught by Gencic. Djokovic was grief-stricken when he heard of her death through the 2013 French Open, he forfeited his media conference. Different perspective Even though the bombing raids might easily have ended his tennis career, life is put by it in an entirely different view, Djokovic told CNN television in 2015. "It gave me more appreciation for all the values that I've in my life," he explained. "From golf to whatever. I know what it feels like being anything less or more, then being in this popular and global game on the planet. So this comparison gives me the right perspective in life" Although Djokovic stated in his autobiography the constant bombing campaign, the largest military operation in NATO background, left him feeling"helpless," it didn't stop him playing tennis. Djokovic stepped up his coaching sessions. He practised across Belgrade picked by Gencic at sites for as many as five hours each day, based on where the most recent bombs had fallen, in the hope. From becoming paralyzed by panic originally, something changed Djokovic said in his publication since the strikes continued. "We decided to stop being afraid," he said. "After so much death, so much devastation, we just stopped hiding. Once you realize you are truly powerless, a certain sense of freedom carries over." No. 1 After Milosevic agreed to troop withdrawals from Kosovo, the air strikes finished. In September of this year, the now Djokovic abandoned Serbia for Munich, Germany, to train in former Yugoslav expert Niki Pilic's tennis academy. Pro would turn four decades later. Back in 1994, the then seven-year-old Djokovic appeared on TV, confidently telling his congregation:"The aim for me would be to turn into the world No. 1" See CNN.com/sport to get more news, features, and movies Seventeen decades after, he became the first Serbian participant to climb into the No. 1 position on the men's ATP Tour after he won his first Wimbledon title. Read more: