Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena on her "fears" about parenting kids Stefan & Tara: "Do my best not to let them control my behavior towards the children"
Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena has shed light on her approach to parenting, opening up about her desire to provide their children with a stable foundation of "unconditional love." Djokovic and his wife have two children together, their son Stefan, who will turn 10 on October 22, and a seven-year-old daughter Tara.
Following his third-round finish at the 2024 US Open, Djokovic is set to return to the tour at the Shanghai Masters, commencing on October 2. The Serb recently touched down in China ahead of the event, entertaining the local fans by playing tennis at the Great Wall of China.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena recently sat down for an interview with Zena, reflecting on her fears about the kind of world their children were growing up in. However, she emphasized that she did not allow those concerns to dictate her parental behavior toward Stefan and Tara.
"I have fears like every parent. But I do my best not to let them control my behavior towards the children. Circumstances have changed, but the world and the process of growing up and maturing have always carried with them uncertainties," she said.
"I want to believe that if we give children a good foundation, which is the security of a family environment, unconditional love, acceptance, that they will have a stable base to deal with the challenges that the future brings," she added.
Jelena also expressed uncertainty about whether she had achieved the perfect balance between protecting their children and giving them space to grow, admitting that the real test of Stefan and Tara's upbringing would come when they grew up and began to enjoy their independence.
The 38-year-old also bemoaned how challenging it was to maintain any semblance of balance in today's world, due to the "never enough" mantra adopted by society.
"I haven't taken the exam for achieving balance in parenting yet, so I'm not sure if I passed or failed it. (laughs) They say that test comes when children grow up and when their time for independence comes," Jelena said.
"We will see how it will be, I think that today it is very difficult to find a balance in anything, because society cultivates the mantra "never enough, more more more" and then you see a lot of exaggeration in everything," she added.
"My children still don't have a cell phone, my wife and I argue" - Novak Djokovic on facing his children's complaints over 'stubborn' rule
Novak Djokovic also recently shed light on his approach to parenting. In an interview with Blic, the Serb disclosed that he and his wife Jelena have had arguments about his decision not to allow their kids Stefan and Tara to have personal phones.
Although his children complained about being the only ones at school without phones of their own, the 24-time Grand Slam champion emphasized that his "stubborn" rule was intended to teach them about not following the herd mentality.
"My children still don't have a cell phone, my wife and I argue. They complain, "At school everyone has one except us." It's not easy and this is reflected on other levels as well," Djokovic said.
"If everyone does something, the herd behaves like this, you have to follow them. Well, it doesn't have to be like that. This is where I think we differ from others, because we are stubborn and active," he added.
On the tennis front, Djokovic will commence his Shanghai Masters campaign against the winner of the match between Alex Michelsen and Bu Yunchaokete, following a first-round bye.