What a match! Novak Djokovic survived a major scare from the 19-year-old fanboy Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round of the 2025 AO. The 10-time Australian Open champion came from a set down to win this match by 4-6,6-3,6-4,6-2! Playing in his first Grand Slam, nobody expected Basavareddy to win a set against someone like Novak Djokovic. His mighty grit in this epic encounter drew praise from the man himself but at the same time, his performance brought in a major scare for Jelena Djokovic. Her reaction after the match, says it all.

Shortly after finishing this four-set battle, Novak Djokovic was seen heaping praise on the youngster. During his on-court interview, he said, “He was a better player for a set and a half. He deserved every bit of applause he got when he left the court. To be honest, I’ve never seen him play up until 3 or 4 days ago. I didn’t know much about him.” He further added, “These matchups are always tricky when you play someone with nothing to lose. First match ever for him in a slam. He pleasantly surprised me with all of his shots and fighting spirit towards the end. I wish him all the best for the rest of his career.”

They have an age difference of almost 18 years. On one side, Basavareddy had nothing to lose but a lot to gain from this match, while Djokovic had almost won everything in his career, and it was more about withholding his legacy in the ‘Melbourne Slam.‘ These two players didn’t fail to impress their fans, and the intensity was pretty high during the early phases of this contest. Jelena Djokovic was seen breathing a sigh of relief after this epic battle. One of Novak Djokovic’s fans captured her post-match reaction and uploaded that video clip on his X handle with the caption, “I love him so much 😂❤️ Jelena is all of us 🥰.”

Jelena Djokovic is one of the biggest supporters of Novak Djokovic. Both of them were high school sweethearts before tying the knot in 2014. She is often seen cheering for her husband from the stands during his matches. Talking about her incredible support through every ups and downs, when Novak Djokovic clinched his 400th master-level win at the 2024 Indian Wells, Jelena was seen showering love with a romantic message for Nole. This is just one of multiple such heartwarming moments featuring this couple. What does Novak Djokovic have to say about the biggest pillar of his support system?

Novak Djokovic extends his heartfelt gratitude to his wife Jelena for traveling all the way to Melbourne with their children

We saw Jelena Djokovic getting a bit emotional when Novak Djokovic won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Speaking on that moment during an interview in October 2024, she said, “I was in the stands crying with happiness, thinking about what would come next. The Olympic gold was a very challenging goal to achieve; it took him a long time, but I am certain he won’t stop here.” Jelena said that it was an honor for her to live with him and be inspired by him.

However, she always has to be a bit too cautious while expressing her emotions when attending Novak Djokovic‘s matches. Why? Well, during an interview with The Daily Mail, she admitted that she gets “passionate” while watching Novak play. So, she feels, “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.“

Novak Djokovic has also, time and again, reflected on how his wife has been playing a major role in fulfilling his tennis goals. The life of a professional tennis player is full of traveling, and while sharing his thoughts on the same, Djokovic said, “Being absent from the children is not something that makes me very happy. It’s a balancing act between me and my wife and the close people in my life. So her being there for our children and everything it allows me to be able to do what I love and still make some strides, significant strides, in this sport.”

For the past two tournaments, Novak Djokovic’s wife Jelena has not been able to accompany him to the tournament, which has indeed been a source of sadness. However, now not only his wife, but even his children have joined him in Melbourne. What does Novak Djokovic have to say about this? “It means the world to me. It’s their first time in Australia, so it’s great to have them there. 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,” said the tennis star. 

Now, with this incredible support system in Melbourne, it will be interesting to see if Novak Djokovic can really win his 25th Grand Slam title at the 2025 AO. What are your predictions for this, though?