"We don't want him to be exposed, he's only a baby" - When Novak Djokovic discussed his and wife Jelena's decision to keep son Stefan's face private
Novak Djokovic once explained the rationale behind his and his wife Jelena's decision to shield their son Stefan's face from public exposure.
The Serb tied the knot with his wife, Jelena, in July 2014. In October that year, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Stefan. Although Stefan is a regular presence at tournaments and on his parent's social media accounts now, there was a time when his parents chose to keep his face hidden from public view.
During his campaign at the 2015 Shanghai Masters, Novak Djokovic explained that the decision to keep Stefan's face private was a measure for his protection, asserting that they didn't want their baby exposed at such a young age.
"Well, first of all, we didn't share the photos of Stefan for a long time. We started showing pictures but not his face because of his own sake, his own protection," Djokovic said during a press conference in Shanghai.
"Everybody is different. Obviously our view is that we don't want him to be exposed at this stage of his life. He's only a baby," he added.
The Serb also stated that while Stefan would eventually accompany him to tournaments and his face would become public, they were committed to shielding him from undue attention until that time.
"We are aware also of the fact that sooner or later he's very close to start walking. He's going to chase the ball, which he's already doing. Eventually he is going to come to the tennis courts," he said.
"Still he hasn't been on the tennis courts. He's going to come and people will obviously see him, pictures. Still to this point we'll not make any photos of his face because we want to protect him," he added.
Novak Djokovic on the biggest adjustment since becoming a father: "When I step into the home, it's not about my career; It's about my wife, about my boy"
Novak Djokovic opened up about the biggest adjustments he had to make after becoming a father, emphasizing the necessity of leaving his professional life at the door when he went home to focus on his wife Jelena and son Stefan.
"The biggest adjustment I had to make as a father is living most of the things that are related to my profession. Common subjects I was talking about before in the house, before I became a father, I had to leave that behind the door," Djokovic said in the same press conference.
"When I step into the home, it's not about me, my career. It's about my wife; it's about my boy. I think that's the biggest adjustment I think any successful athlete or person needs to make," he added.
While the Serb expressed gratitude for his wife's support in allowing him to continue playing professional tennis, he emphasized that his priorities shifted, with his family taking precedence over his career.
"Luckily I also have big support from my wife and people around me to keep still playing tennis on this level. They all enjoy this life with me," he said.
"But I think the list of the priorities has completely changed in terms of life generally for me. It's family number one, of course. So that's a big adjustment. Other than that, things come naturally. You follow your instincts. It's the best thing that ever happened to us," he added.
Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena expanded their family in 2017, welcoming their daughter Tara.