Everything we know about Jelena Djokovic, the woman in Novak Djokovic's life.

As the number one men’s player, Novak Djokovic is one of the most recognisable names in tennis.

He has 15 Grand Slam wins under his belt, including seven Australian Open titles, after beating Rafael Nadal in the Melbourne final on Sunday night.

But while his on-court finesse never ceases to impress spectators, what does life look like away from the court, the cameras, and the headlines, for Novak Djokovic?

Well, to the legendary Serbian player – there’s one person who keeps him grounded from the inside out.

His wife and high school sweetheart; Jelena Djokovic.

 

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Hahaha, I love her excitement here ???? PS. We were in about to meet @enriqueiglesias ???????????? #lastnight

A post shared by Novak Djokovic (@djokernole) on Aug 14, 2016 at 11:48am PDT

The couple married in 2014 and have two children together – daughter Tara, who just turned one, and Stefan, who turns four in October.

They met as teenagers, and recounting their first date when he was just 18, Djokovic said he was desperate to impress “the most wonderful girl he had ever met”.

He spoke of the encounter in a promotional short film series called Made By Moments for Jacob’s Creek in 2016.

“In my eyes at the time it was a very exclusive place to take her. I wanted to impress her so I took her to this place,” he reveals of the chosen venue.

“Well, no!” his wife interjects, “It was a sports bar!”

The two laughed their way through the video, in which Jelena described how her now-husband had tried to order a steak for her, but instead ordered steak tartare.

“I called the waiter over and explained the steak was underdone. He told me I had ordered steak tartare that is always served raw,” he recalled.

The disastrous date clearly didn’t scare her off, however, and now, speaking highly of his wife’s importance in his life during a recent interview with ESPN, Djokovic said she helps him find balance away from the pressures of the tennis world.

“She helped me to identify the emotions and feelings of everything that is going on and understand the big picture,” he said.

Here’s what we know about her:

Belgrade-born Jelena is the director of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, the main aim of which is to support students and improve Serbia’s education system. The foundation also produces the Original magazine, aimed at engaging students in art, culture, sport and science.

She holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from Universita Bocconi, and a Masters in Luxury Goods and Services from the International University of Monaco.

Away from the foundation and Original magazine, Jelena’s interests lie in health and wellness. On her public Instagram account, she is often seen blogging about meditation, and the importance of healthy, balanced eating through a plant-based diet.

 

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Finally figured out how to make homemade pesto sauce! ???? #healthyfood #plantbasedfoodie ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Najzad sam uspela da napravim pesto sos ???????? #kobirekočudadasedese

A post shared by Jelena Djokovic (@jelenadjokovicndf) on Dec 18, 2018 at 11:02am PST

 

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Art of listening. Still a beginner. There is always this child’s excitement in me. Always want to speak up, ask questions, voice my opinion…. sometimes listening is the hardest thing for me, and sometimes it comes so naturally. How about you guys? #perfectlyunperfect #lifelonglearner #apprenticeoflife #tuesdaythoughts ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Umetnost slušanja. Ja još uvek početnik a vi? ????‍♀️ #savršenonesavršena

A post shared by Jelena Djokovic (@jelenadjokovicndf) on Dec 11, 2018 at 8:31am PST

Describing his wife in the same ESPN interview, Djokovic said she is a “deep thinker”.

“She likes to go in depth and analyse everything in detail. She likes to write in her journals and makes me do the same. We had many profound conversations that revealed a lot to both of us, and about me specifically.

“She helped me to identify the emotions and feelings of everything that is going on and understand the big picture. [She] inspires other athletes that it’s possible to do both. … Actually we were texting and speaking just before she went into labour, and she was so friendly and so kind and so loving to share what she’s going through with us.”

He said her openness in life makes him feel they are “connected on a deeper level”.

Gushing interviews aside, in 2017, the couple made headlines when Jelena accidentally published a lover’s tiff live to Facebook.

Jelena was filming one of husband’s training sessions and streaming it live on his public Facebook page.

At the end of the session, the tennis star walked towards Jelena, abruptly grabbed the phone from her hand and said: “I like to get near the camera, it makes me feel more intimate I guess, more friendly,” to which she snapped at him in Serbian.

News.com.au reported that Jelena’s comments can be translated as:

“How are you behaving yourself? For heaven’s sake. Thank you, love. Thank you. Isn’t that what you should be saying?”

Novak can then be heard saying something quickly and quietly in Serbian; we assume he was reminding her that the video is streaming live.

The story was, however, proof that the couple are just like us, and are prone to a small disagreement here and there.

Speaking of his family’s support throughout his career, Djokovic added that his children have played an enormous part in providing perspective.

“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.

“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.”

And while Jelena has been a passionate sideline fixture throughout the Australian Open, his son Stefan has been busying himself at pre-school.

“My son is not watching me, he is going to pre-school,” Djokovic told Express.

“I actually talked with him about 45 minutes before the match and he was telling me about Spiderman.

“He was acting as a fish in an aquarium and doing different things."