Novak Djokovic is not used to pampering his fans that much. Invited by British journalist Piers Morgan for a long-form interview available on the host’s YouTube channel since Tuesday, the world tennis legend spoke at length about topics related to his career, to his competitors, including Jannik Sinner, but he also spoke about personal themes.
The 38-year-old Serbian man spoke about his love story with Jelena Ristic – who became Jelena Djokovic after marrying in 2014 -, the mother of his two children Stefan (11 years) and Tara (8 years). Even though it is common knowledge that the relationship between the man who won 24 Grand Slam titles and his wife is very close, the champion has never previously mentioned how he met his future wife.
“Who is this Jelena?” »
“He was a tennis player but we never met when he was playing. He was in a relationship with a tennis player who had been my friend for a long time,” said the man from Belgrade. “It’s funny because the first time I heard about him was when this friend, who was at the same club as me, was playing a game for a regional league. We had won an important game and he took off his jersey, underneath it was a white t-shirt with his writing on it. Jelena I love you, this is for you. We are in mode :OOh my God, that’s so stupid, why would you do that ? And who is this Jelena? And that’s it! “, he said.
The two soulmates eventually met through other mutual friends – “we were more or less in the same circle” – before their relationship took a different turn when Djokovic moved to Monte-Carlo, around 2007. “We got together and yes, he has split (from my friend), just to be clear, don’t embarrass me!», laughed the world fourth player to Piers Morgan. “He went to study in Italy and we got together. »
“We never talked about it”
On the other hand, Djokovic took a much more serious tone when discussing his wife’s ex-boyfriend with whom he is still in touch. “I spoke to him yesterday. He’s fine. He’s moved on. But we never talked about it. I think we both felt uncomfortable. We’re still friends so it’s all good. »
In the same interview, the man considered by many observers to be the best player in history reiterated that Jelena was “the love of his life”.
“I’ve been in a few romantic relationships for a few months, but this is the only long-term relationship I’ve ever been in.” In addition to regularly showing her support for her husband on tennis courts around the world, her husband is also the director of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, whose mission is to develop educational projects for needy children in Serbia.
