Getty Novak Djokovic's wife, Jelena Djokovic, with their son, Stefan.
Novak Djokovic believes his two kids, Stefan and Tara, may be his secret weapon for seeing improvement on the tennis court. Novak got to share winning the 2018 Wimbledon title with his son, Stefan.
“It feels amazing because for the first time in my life I have someone screaming ‘daddy, daddy’ and it’s a little boy right there,” Novak told The Guardian. “I didn’t talk about it, but it was one of – if not the biggest – motivation I’ve had for this Wimbledon this year. I was visualizing, imagining this moment of him coming to the stands, cherishing this moment with my wife and me and everyone. It’s hard to describe. It is a moment that I will carry inside of my heart forever.”
Technically, Novak had to wait until after the match to see Stefan as Wimbledon rules have an age requirement for attendees. Stefan is expected to be in the stands as Novak tries to win the US Open title. Novak and his wife, Jelena Djokovic, celebrated the birth of Tara in 2017.
Novak went through a bit of a slump on the tennis court but believes fatherhood helped him bounce out of it.
Novak Djokovic Calls His Children His “Little Masters”
Part of what helped Novak regain his form was the importance of his family. Novak admits he began to see that life is bigger than tennis.
“I’m a different person in many ways,” Novak explained to ESPN. “First of all, I’m a father of two kids. I still play tennis, which I truly love with all my heart and I’m grateful that I have an opportunity to compete at a high level. But I just see myself differently. My biggest interest is to keep on exploring the possibilities of my existence on this planet — not just as a tennis player but as a human being. It’s not only about winning a tennis match. You can’t take trophies to your grave.”
You may not be able to take them to your grave, but Novak has started to add more trophies to his collection. Months after winning Wimbledon, Novak has an opportunity to add a 2018 US Open title to his collection. Novak noted that his family helped him keep his spirits up, even when he was going through a recent slump.
“When I was not doing well in tennis, part of me didn’t like that, but I was still very happy because I had many things in my life that were making me fulfilled,” Novak told ESPN. “There is so much that we can learn from children, it’s quite incredible. My wife and I, we call both our children our little masters. Because they are just able to be so present and fully engaged in the moment, and then they are able to move on from something that has happened.”
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