"Trying to be the best father, husband I can be": Novak Djokovic denies living 'perfectly balanced life,' admits challenge of juggling family & tennis
Novak Djokovic has opened up about the challenge of balancing his enduring love for tennis with his desire to spend quality time with his family. The Serb made these remarks after opening his 2024 Shanghai Masters campaign with a win.
Following a first-round bye, fourth seed Djokovic took on Alex Michelsen in his tournament opener at the Masters 1000 event. After a closely contested battle, the Serb claimed a hard-fought 7-6(3), 7-6(9) victory, inching closer to his record-extending fifth Shanghai Masters title and 100th career title overall.
During his post-match press conference, Novak Djokovic was asked about how he had effortlessly balanced his myriad sponsorship obligations with his tennis training since arriving in Shanghai.
However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion denied living a "perfectly balanced life," emphasizing that he found it challenging to juggle his tennis career with his roles as a husband, father, son, 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," he 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 added.
Djokovic also confessed that while he missed his family while on tour, he was still passionate about tennis, disclosing that he had the support of his loved ones to continue competing.
"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," he said.
Novak Djokovic: "I have tough days, but you remind yourself of what matters the most, the relationships with people"
Despite acknowledging the challenges of balancing his passion for tennis with his family life, Novak Djokovic expressed his heartfelt gratitude for all the experiences and success he's enjoyed during his illustrious career.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion also shed light on his "formula" for dealing with difficult times, revealing that he reminded himself of what mattered most, like his relationships with his loved ones.
"So I, you know, I'm more than lucky in my life to experience everything that I have experienced, to have all these achievements. And, you know, I'm very grateful to God to give me this opportunity," he said.
"So, I try to remind myself sometimes when I go through difficult times, like everybody else, you know, I have tough days, but, you know, you kind of remind yourself of what matters the most, the connections, the relationships with people, trying to be the best version you can be every day. I guess that's kind of the formula," he added.
Following his win over Alex Michelsen, Novak Djokovic will take on the winner of the match between Stan Wawrinka and Flavio Cobolli in the third round of the Shanghai Masters.