How Did Novak Djokovic Avoid Internal Turmoil of Missing Wife and Children at Australian Open 2025?

Dad first, tennis star second! The man on a mission hopes a good family time will lead to success in the ‘Land Down Under’. Staying away from the family during the Tour is perhaps the most challenging task for every tennis player. The tennis great, Novak Djokovic feels leaving his family is perhaps the biggest battle that he faces during the season. Previously, during an interview with GQ magazine, he spoke about how difficult it is for him to pack up the car and how tough are the first couple of nights at the hotel. However, thankfully for him, he will not have to face all these struggles off the court in Melbourne, but why?

During a previous interview, Novak Djokovic explained those situations by saying, “I feel the most intensity of those emotions, of sadness, of separation, of regret, and just the incredible need to be back with my children and my wife.” Even during the Shanghai Masters, he was heard saying, “I miss my family when I’m on the road, and at the same time I love tennis, I really do, and I have support from my closest ones to keep going, to keep playing.” He revealed that he too faces some “tough days“.

However, according to Novak Djokovic the bond that he shares with his family and people around him gives him the energy to keep moving and to help him in his mission to clinch his 11th AO title, his family has traveled all the way from Serbia to Australia. Speaking about this in an earlier interview, the Serb said, “This is the first time my family comes with me, my children, my wife [to Australia]. If I have a match day, I’m spending time getting ready for that match. She has to take care of the kids. She’s here supporting me, trying to give me that love and energy, along with kids, that I need to play my best tennis.”

Novak Djokovic has previously spoken about how difficult it was for him to travel all around the world alone. However, now with the help of his wife and two kids, things have become a bit different. Djokovic feels spending time with the family keeps him calm and releases all the tensions which indeed helps him put his full focus on the game.

Has Novak Djokovic faced any challenges while switching roles from being a legendary player to a family man? “I try to balance things out, and maybe it looks like I am living a perfectly balanced life, but trust me, it’s not like that. You know, it’s very challenging, and I’m trying to enjoy it as much as I can and learn, be the best father, husband I can be, along with a tennis player, and, of course, son and brother as well,” said Djokovic in an interview. 

During the 2023 Paris Masters, we heard Novak Djokovic admitting that he has been modeling his schedule to make sure he spends as much time with his family as possible. At that time, he also spoke about how he had learned that spending more time with children can give him “incredible satisfaction” and beautiful moments and emotions that he could cherish for a very, very long time.

Talking about spending beautiful moments with his family, we have seen how Novak Djokovic loves to do ballet dancing with his wife, and then in April last year, we even saw him spending some quality time with his wife and kids at a track & field stadium in Monaco. How big a role does, Djokovic’s wife, Jelena play in keeping things going on and off the court for the tennis star, though?

Novak Djokovic sheds light on the invaluable contribution of his wife to his tennis career

Novak Djokovic and Jelena were together for several years before getting married in 2014. In fact, they had even attended the same high school together in their home country of Serbia. Jelena has always been one of the biggest supporters of Djokovic throughout the years. She’s often seen in the stands during Novak Djokovic’s matches nowadays. However, she couldn’t give him company during his previous tournaments before taking his flight to Australia.

So, Novak Djokovic was quite ecstatic to see his family joining him on his trip to Australia. Reflecting on that excitement, he said, “My heart is full, you know when I have my family with me. It’s a long way to get to Australia from where we live. I appreciate my wife [who was] willing to make the trip with my kids and giving me the support that is always necessary.“

However, this wasn’t the first time that we saw him highlighting the invaluable contribution of his wife to his life and career as a whole. In another instance, he showered praise on Jelena saying, “Forever grateful to my wife for being the best mother I could ask for to kids, while I was making history of the sport.“

Talking about supporting her husband, we’ve seen how Jelena often gets highly emotional during his matches. For example, when Djokovic won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, she said, she was crying in the stands with happiness, thinking about what would come next. However, while expressing her emotions she always has to be a little bit cautious. “I have to be careful as I don’t want to get too emotional and distract Novak. It’s about what the guys want…We don’t want them to see us get emotional. When I’m at home watching him on the TV, I get even more passionate because I know the cameras aren’t on me.” Their love story is truly one of the most incredible love stories in the tennis world. Share your thoughts on this beautiful family. Do you feel their incredible support can help Djokovic clinch his 11th AO title?