Who is Novak Djokovic’s wife? The 24-time Grand Slam winner’s partner recently made the headlines after revealing The Serbinator almost hung up his racquet in 2018.
Novak Djokovic’s Wife Is Jelena
Superstar tennis ace Novak Djokovic’s wife is Jelena Djokovic (née Ristić). The couple’s love story goes all the way back to 2005 when they started dating at high school in Serbia.
Many deem their relationship a ‘match made in heaven’ and they have certainly encountered some rocky moments over the last two decades.
Not in the way of infidelity, but more how during their younger days there were plenty of obstacles to navigate. The strains started to show when Djokovic’s career began to blossom.
Jelena was dedicated to her studies and actually enrolled in the Bocconi University in Milan. She undertook a luxury brand management course.
At the same time, Nole was travelling around the world frequently but the lovebirds found a way to make their long-distance relationship work.
Once her studies were complete, Jelena decided to live with Novak in Monte Carlo. The couple would often play tennis together as they rekindled their relationship.
She found work at an oil company but quickly realised it was affecting her love life with Novak. Shortly after, Jelena occupied herself by acting as the National Director for the Novak Djokovic Foundation.
In September 2013, the couple became engaged and tied the knot on 10 July 2014. They were married on Montenegro’s Sveti Stefan island, in the Church of Saint Stephen.
Later that year, son Stefan was born and in 2017, their daughter Tara arrived. The children can often be seen supporting their father during his matches.
With that said, Jelena is her husband’s biggest supporter. She can be credited with helping drive Novak on and entertain all the success he has enjoyed on the court.
You're on the clock, Novak 😅
Tara Djokovic's reaction to her Dad's late-night match is priceless 🕰️#AusOpen • #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/QqBKcAWi5h
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2025
Novak Djokovic Retirement Bombshell Revealed By Jelena
After advancing to his 50th Grand Slam semi-final, it’s crazy to think that the Djokovic vs Alcaraz H2H record would fail to even exist if the Serb went through with his retirement plans in 2018.
The superstar rivals shared a court for the 8th time at the 2025 Australian Open. Djokovic came out on top in a four-set thriller to claim a 5-3 lead against the Spaniard.
It was in 2022 when the pair first played each other. Djokovic may boast the better overall record but the 21-year-old got the better of Nole in the last two Wimbledon finals.
As brilliant as it is to see Djokovic take on a new rival heading in to his late 30’s, Jelena recently confessed the surprising news of how close her husband came to calling it a day.
During a recent interview on the In Depth with Graham Bensinger podcast, Jelena revealed a damaging 1st round defeat seven years ago served as the catalyst for Novak’s retirement plans.
Before his surprising 1st round defeat to Benoit Paire at the Miami Open, Djokovic had undergone elbow surgery after another premature exit at the 2018 Australian Open.
Jelena explained: “He just gathered all of us and said, ‘You know guys, I’m done. I’m like, ‘But you can’t quit’, and we were crying, we were like ‘What are you doing?
“This is not the time. It was just crazy … we went on a holiday together. When he decides he doesn’t want to play tennis … he doesn’t want anything to do with tennis, and I love tennis.
He showed up on the third or fourth day of the holiday, and saw me and Stef playing on the court. “Luckily he saw how much fun we were having … he was like, ‘Can I have a racquet, please?
“He took a few balls and starting serving, and he was like, ‘It’s not feeling bad, it’s OK – I’m going to call Marian (Vajda), I’m going to ask him to come back and be my coach again.”
