Novak Djokovic is not a champion of rich people, his fans are ordinary people: Serb's wife Jelena
Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena has hailed the Serb as a champion of ordinary people, propping him up as a hero of the commonfolk in a traditionally elitist sport that does not always welcome such fans with open arms. Because Djokovic himself had humble beginnings coming from a simple blue-collar family, Jelena believes he is far more relatable to ordinary people.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with La Nacion, the 37-year-old's wife shed light on what she thinks her husband's legacy in tennis will be after he retires. There are few things in the sport the 24-time Grand Slam champion has not conquered, currently being the player with the most Major titles in the Open Era as well as the one with the longest reign as the World No. 1 in history.
Jelena, who has been married to Djokovic for more than 20 years now, opined that she sees him as a hope-bringer to the masses, having seen at close quarters how he is received by fans around the world. While she admitted that tennis has the notoriety of being a white sport that caters mainly to the rich, she thought her husband was a trend-breaker in that aspect.
"When we look at what is happening in the world, tennis is such a small prism of life, but it brings happiness to people. It brings joy. It brings hope. And there is something like that that he wants to leave. I like to see him as a champion of the common people. Not of the rich people. Because he is a common man who comes from a very simple family, from a family of workers and dreamers," Jelena said.
"And traveling around the world you see a lot of people who are inspired by his story because they are also similar to him. So, tennis is a very luxurious sport, a white sport, a sport of rich people… But Novak’s fans are ordinary people, people with an ordinary job and they can’t always afford to have tickets to go see his matches," she added.
Jelena Djokovic further stated her belief that such love that he receives from ordinary fans around the world did give her husband a kind of motivation to keep going, pushing him beyond what he would have otherwise been capable of.
"When you walk down the street and you see the workers who build buildings or whatever, they shout: ‘Hey, Novak! ’ Everyone stops him. I think that is what gives him the power and the energy to keep going. Even though he has already achieved everything, I think his greatest victory is being a champion of the people, yes. He is the people's champion," Jelena said.
Djokovic does indeed have a very humble beginning, growing up in war-torn Serbia and having lived his early childhood near poverty before his father Srdjan sent him to tennis academies abroad by procuring loans.
Jelena Djokovic names her favorite tennis tournament
In the aforementioned interview, Jelena Djokovic also named her favorite tennis tournament, revealing that it was Wimbledon. As for why, the Serb reasoned that the tournament taking place away from the city helped give her family a relaxed atmosphere and spend a lot of time together.
"Wimbledon. I like it a lot. I like it because it's green, quiet, it's away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And all of us, as a family, spend a lot of time together because we don't waste time in traffic. We're just at work, at home, in the park, enjoying time together. It feels like a normal job when we're at Wimbledon," Jelena said.
Incidentally, Novak Djokovic has one of the best records at Wimbledon, winning the title seven times, most recently in 2022.