The Water Polo Federation of Serbia announced Tuesday the hiring of Uroš Stevanović as the new men’s national team head coach.
Stevanović will replace Dejan Savić, who resigned after 10 years serving as Serbia’s head coach on Oct. 1st.
Stevanović expressed his gratitude and gave some insight into his plans soon after his appointment.
“There is no greater honor than being the coach of your country. I thank the Water Polo Federation of Serbia and President Viktor Jelenic for their trust. I am proud to be the head coach, but I am also aware of the great responsibility I am taking on,” Stevanović said in an official statement.
“I promise a lot of work to create a good atmosphere and achieve good results. We want to make the most of the team’s huge potential, based on the values and traditions of Serbian water polo.”
Stevanović is the head coach of Radnički Kragujevac, a club team in the Serbian Water Polo League A. In the nation’s highest level of men’s water polo, the Radnički team finished as the runners-up last season and the champions of the 2020-2021 season. The club team also took home the Serbian Water Polo Cup in 2022.
In September, Stevanović led the Serbian men’s U19 team to its third title at the European Water Polo Championships in Podgorica, Montenegro. A month prior, with nearly the same team roster, the Serbian men earned a silver medal at the FINA World Youth Water Polo Championships in their home country.
At the 2021 FINA World Men’s Junior Water Polo Championships, Stevanović coached the U20 team to its third world title.
While Stevanović has accepted this position, he plans to step down after the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Founded in 2006, the Serbian men’s water polo team claimed numerous victories in the last decade under Savić. The national team won both Olympic gold medals at the 2016 Rio and Tokyo 2021 Games; gold and bronze at the 2017 and 2015 World Championships, respectively; and six gold medals in the World League. The Serbian men also earned three consecutive European Championship titles (2014, 2016, 2018) and the FINA World Cup in 2014.
The Water Polo Federation of Serbia said in an announcement, “We wish Dejan Savić much success in his career. We are sure that our “Deki” has a lot more to give to Serbian water polo and sports as he has done so far.”
Savić will continue his coaching career at Crvena Zvezda, a club team in the Serbian League that he coached before from 2011-15.