Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena reflects on how she's changed over the years, recalls watching the Serb's Australian Open 2012 final against Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena looked back at the time she was in the crowd watching her husband's heroic win against Rafael Nadal at the 2012 Australian Open, reminiscing on her life since that remarkable night at Melbourne Park.
Djokovic is all set to take part in the upcoming Australian Open, which is about to commence on January 16. While the Serb has won nine Grand Slam titles on Aussie soil, his win against Nadal in the 2012 Majors final in Melbourne remains special in the hearts of tennis fans considering the circumstances. The World No. 5 defeated Nadal 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5), 7–5 in what was one of the most exhilarating matches in the history of Grand Slam finals.
Jelena took to social media on Friday to share a picture of herself at present and another picture of her watching the 2012 Australian Open final in the stands as she reflected on her own journey.
"Now and then. And in between 12 long years of quite an eventful life journey…," she captioned her Instagram post.
Jelena also shared the same picture from 2012 on her Instagram stories and tagged her husband.
"When I watched the longest Grand Slam final Down Under," she wrote.
Novak Djokovic to have a 'tough' outing in Australian Open 2023, says Serena Williams' ex-coach
Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has expressed that Novak Djokovic will find it difficult to play well at the upcoming Australian Open as he feels that the former World No. 1 is carrying a "lot of emotional baggage."
In a conversation with Eurosport, Mouratoglou stated that the Serb has suffered a lot emotionally off-late and that it might make him vulnerable when hitting the court at Melbourne Park.
"It's going to be tough for Novak in Australia, that's for sure. You are going to carry a lot of emotional baggage. He's been through a lot, emotionally speaking. Nobody is immune. It will be difficult," the 52-year-old said.
However, he hopes that the 21-time Grand Slam champion does not crumble like he did against Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 US Open final, when he smashed his racquet to vent his frustration. The Serb eventually lost the final against the Russian in three straight sets.
"I hope he doesn't fall apart like he did at the 2021 US Open," he added.