3 bold quotes by Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena
Novak Djokovic is constantly in the spotlight for being one of the greatest tennis players of all time, this attention goes beyond the tennis court, extending to his personal life as well. In this regard, his wife, Jelena and kids, 9-year-old Stefan and 6-year-old Tara are also often in the limelight.
Regarded as one of the most loved tennis families, the Djokovics are adored by fans and loved by the media for their on-court family camaraderie and off-court adventures. However, being prominent international figures, views shared by both Djokovic and his wife, Jelena have quite often caught the attention of many for making an impact.
While most of these bold statements made by the former World No.1 are well-known and looked back at, there are a few advanced by his wife, Jelena, the co-founder and global CEO of the Novak Djokovic Foundation. Hence, here are a few bold statements by Jelena over the years.
#3 "I see people trying to be private about their business in a world where everyone feels like they have every right to point a camera at you whenever they want"
Jelena Djokovic once responded to a controversy involving her husband with a statement that not only clarified doubts but also brought attention to celebrities' right to privacy.
At the Paris Masters in 2022, the Serb's physio, Ulises Badio was seen mixing him a drink during his semifinal match against Stefanos Tsitsipas which was handed over to Djokovic by a ball girl. The incident raised questions by a few about the contents of the drink wherein a few people considered it to be strange.
In response to the same, Djokovic's wife Jelena took to her X account and said (via Business Insider):
"I see people trying to be private about their business in a world where everyone feels like they have every right to point a camera at you whenever they want. Apparently, wanting/trying to be private makes you dodgy nowadays."
She added, "He (Djokovic) will talk when he is ready to talk. Sit a bit in silence. Mind yourself more. Not everything you see is controversial. It could be private. Is that allowed?"
#2 "I suffer criticism for not wearing make-up or why I'm not in heels"
In an interview, Jelena Djokovic spoke about the drawbacks of being in the limelight and the lack of privacy, particularly the lack of privacy. She mentioned that she is constantly scrutinized and criticized for not wearing makeup or heels.
After dating for eight years, the two got married in 2014 and have two kids together. While the Djokovic family is often photographed during tournaments or practicing together, Jelena has been a constant at Djokovic's matches since the latter started his career and was often seen cheering for him from the stands.
However, talking about the said attention and public scrutiny, in an interview that took place in 2020, Jelena said:
"It is certain that when you are young, spotlights and attention are pleasant because the experience does not alarm you at the first moment that it may bring some difficulties. We look at public figures and think that kind of publicity is fine. But, as time goes by, you miss even anonymity, you miss the privacy of being able to do what you want at any time, in any edition."
She added, "I try to resist all these given forms, to be myself, and Novak himself. Sometimes that's why I suffer criticism for not wearing make-up or why I'm not always in heels, but I decided that between the way I see and love myself, and how the public expects it, to choose not to disappoint who I am."
#1 "There is this stereotype about who is the wife of an athlete, how she should look like, how she should behave, and I don't fit very well into that stereotype"
In 2020, in a poignant interview with Graham Bensinger, Jelena Djokovic opened up about the less-talked-about challenges of being an athlete's wife and the stereotypes that come with it.
The interview and the views shared by her threw light on a few things that many people did not know about. She said (via Tennis Tonic):
“I think this is gonna be brave to say to millions of people watching, but I was trying to compete with him because I felt like, ‘I’m also deserving and I’m not getting enough credit for what I’m doing because I’m doing it more in the backstage...My ego was there battling also, an internal battle because I always felt like I can express so much more but I have to do it quietly."
She added, "Basically, as a woman, you are not allowed to speak up a lot, you are not allowed to show up a lot. There is this stereotype about who is the wife of an athlete, how she should look like, how she should behave, and I don't fit very well into that stereotype. I am glad I don't because I don't need to. But it was hard because I was judged because of it.”
Jelena spoke about how she tried to conform to what was expected of her but ultimately decided to be true to herself and proudly wear the title of being the wife of an athlete instead of letting the pressure accompanying the same get to her and her behavior.
The courage that Jelena showed in speaking up about her struggles resonated with many people, especially those closely associated with celebrities, and the Serb was greatly applauded for the same.