Novak Djokovic has been one of the most exciting tennis players to watch for 20 years. The athlete has won numerous titles, and at times, he’s been ranked the number one player in the world. He’s won more than 20 men’s singles Grand Slam titles, and he’s regularly one of the top players to watch in every match that he competes in. By his side through much of his career has been his wife, Jelena. The tennis pro’s spouse has supported him through many of the most exciting moments of his career, and they’ve been together for almost as long as Novak has been a tennis pro. Find out everything you need to know about Jelena here!
How did Novak meet Jelena?
Before marrying Novak, Jelena’s maiden name was Ristic. The tennis player met the woman he’d go on to marry while they were just teens in high school in their home country of Serbia, per Newsweek. The two played tennis together, and they started dating back in 2005. Since Novak was still a tennis pro even then, she revealed that they had much work to make their relationship work in an interview with Hello Magazine. “Airplanes were, at the time, something utterly out of our reach. We contrived and devised these plans how to meet, how to make our relationship work,” she said.
Shortly after the high school sweethearts met, Jelena studied luxury brand management at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. “That entailed me being the very best student in elementary and high school, in order to win scholarships,” she told Hello. “My parents were in no position financially to fund (my) education in a foreign country.”
She’s a humanitarian and co-founded the Novak Djokovic Foundation
Shortly after the two of them started dating, Novak and Jelena launched the Novak Djokovic Foundation together in 2007. The organization is dedicated to early childhood development, and helps support parents, teachers, and schools, and in turn, helps countless children in their home country of Serbia.
Besides co-founding the organization with Novak, Jelena also serves as the global CEO. Her bio on the website emphasizes how her values help with her charitable efforts. “A mother of two with an incredible passion to help, she is someone who lives and breathes Early Childhood Education,” the website says. “She lives by values of gratitude, honesty, respect, kindness, forgiveness, and love and tries to practice them through everything she does.”
They’ve been married since 2014
After eight years of dating, Novak popped the question to Jelena in 2013, and the couple tied the knot the following year on July 10, 2014. When the pair got married, Novak was still riding high on his second ever Wimbledon Championship victory! The couple said their “I Do’s” in front of about 100 guests at an intimate ceremony at the Aman St. Stefan resort in Montenegro, according to People.
They have two kids
As mentioned above, Jelena and Novak are proud parents to two children! Months after exchanging vows, Jelena gave birth to the couple’s first child: a son Stefan. Three years later, the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter Tara in 2017.
She hosts a podcast
Besides her humanitarian work, Jelena is the host of the Original Voice podcast from Original Magazine. The Serbian podcast, brings in various guests for Jelena to interview. The podcast’s description states, “We continue the original voice with a series of interviews with people who are changing themselves, their environment, the region, or the world, all with the aim of bringing together those who are not afraid to be who they are, discover their calling and present the talents for which they may have been born.”
