"It is important that they see me as a father"- Novak Djokovic opens up about how he wishes to nurture his relationship with children Stefan and Tara
Novak Djokovic opened up about how he wishes to build a relationship with his children, Stefan and Tara, in a recent interview. The Serb recently faced defeat against Jannik Sinner at the Six Kings Slam semi-final in Riyadh.
Djokovic was bested by the World No. 1 for the second time in four days, as the former attained a loss in the finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters too. In Riyadh, both players played out a fine contest but eventually, Sinner triumphed the players delivered a dominant play throughout the three sets; however, Sinner's powerful play overpowered the Serbian player. The World's No.1 gained victory by winning the first and last set of the match with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-7 (0), 6-4.
Djokovic had to call for medical assistance during the third set of the match, citing a shoulder injury.
Following this loss, the player was seen in an interview with the LA NACION, where he spoke about multiple topics, and one of them was about how he wanted his son, Stefan, and daughter, Tara, to look at him.
He revealed that he wanted his children to not look at him as a tennis player but as a normal father.
"It is important that they see me as a father in the real sense of the word, as a father who is at home, with them, who follows the routine, the time to go to bed, to get up, take them to school, talk to them about life, play with them. That’s the person I want to be for them, not the “Novak Djokovic” father who is outside," said Novak Djokovic.
The Serb added that he does his best to maintain this relationship with his children, and opened up about the time when he won gold at the Olympics and looked at his family, calling it the most "emotional moment" of his career.
"And I do everything to have that kind of relationship and it seems to be going well, but I don’t know. I guess I’ll only know when they get older, but they are aware of what happens. This year we had the Olympics, I won gold for Serbia and it was the most emotional moment of my career. And when I saw my wife and my children there, I was even more emotional. It was the perfect setting, like a Hollywood movie. What more can I ask God for?" the 37-year-old said.
Novak Djokovic opened up about the struggles of living a balanced life between family and tennis
Novak Djokovic opened up about his struggles with juggling between tennis and family in a post-match conference after the opening match at the Shanghai Masters. When asked about how he managed his personal and professional life, he revealed that he wasn't living a "perfectly balanced life" and faced challenges while fulfilling his role as a player and his roles as a father, husband, and brother.
"Well, I mean, we all have different, I guess, routines, different life, different commitments. It's hard to compare, but, you know, what works for one maybe doesn't work for another person," Novak Djokovic said. 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."
He further added that he missed his family while traveling for tournaments but is passionate about competing too.
"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. So, yeah, it's a constant, in a way, challenge to really, I guess, embrace the present and evolve and grow and learn from experiences that you get to live on a daily basis."
The Serb is next scheduled to compete at the Paris Masters, where he is the defending champion.