Novak Djokovic Reveals Reason Behind Moving to Greece: “We Have Two Young Children”

Novak Djokovic, his wife Jelena Djokovic, and their two children, Stefan and Tara, have permanently relocated to Athens. This move followed Djokovic’s support for the student protest against the Serbian government.

In Athens, he will be playing the first edition of the Hellenic Championship, an ATP 250 tournament, where his brother, Djordje Djokovic, is the director. Ahead of his opening-round match, Djokovic talked about the reason behind his and his family’s relocation to Athens during his interview with SDNA. He said:

To be honest, I didn’t plan it far in advance. Actually, a lot has happened in the last two years, and we’ve made new decisions, both personally and professionally. But that’s life.

Djokovic, the first seed, will lock horns with Alejandro Tabilo. The Chilean ace knocked out Adam Walton in three sets in the previous round. Surprisingly, Tabilo has won both of his previous two matches against the 24-time Grand Slam champion. They met in the third round of last year’s Italian Open and the third round of this year’s Monte Carlo Masters. Both times, Tabilo eliminated him in straight sets.

We have two young children, and we’re trying to adapt and find the best environment for them. That’s our priority: for them to grow up in an environment that’s as favorable as possible for their psychological, physical, and emotional health. Ultimately, we want to have more time for ourselves as a family.

Novak Djokovic added

Djokovic will be playing an official match for the first time since the Shanghai Masters semifinals, where eventual champion Valentin Vacherot knocked him out in straight sets. The 38-year-old also played the Six Kings Slam exhibition event, where, just like last year, Djokovic lost to eventual winner Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. In his third-place match, Djokovic handed the walkover to Taylor Fritz.

Vladimir Voltchkov wants Novak Djokovic to become a commentator after retirement

Novak Djokovic has made it clear that retirement thoughts are not at all on the back of his mind during that interview with SDNA. But he, like almost every athlete, will one day call time on his career, and Vladimir Voltchkov, a former player from Belarus, wants Nole to pick up the mic post-retirement.

For me, as a former tennis player, the best fun I have is actually watching Wimbledon, US Open, or Roland Garros, and listening to the commentary of the legends of the previous eras, because they understand the psychology of the game, they know a lot of the technical aspects, and they understand the tactics.

Vladimir Voltchkov told The Tennis Gazette

Djokovic will chase his second title of the season at the Hellenic Championships. The lone title that he won came at the Geneva Open by defeating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. He also played the semifinals of all four Majors and reached the final of the Miami Open, losing the match to Jakub Mensik.

Djokovic skipped the Paris Masters, where in 2023, he lifted the last Masters 1000 of his career. ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said Djokovic will be participating in the ATP Finals, which starts on November 18. Djokovic, who won the event in 2023, chose not to defend it in 2024. The last Big Title that Djokovic won was the 2024 Paris Olympics by defeating Carlos Alcaraz.

Apart from Djokovic, the players who have qualified for the year-end championships are: Alcaraz, defending champion Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur. The Metz Open will decide the fate of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti.

Djokovic, with seven titles, holds the record for most ATP Finals trophies in the Open Era. He also made it to the finals in 2015 and 2018.

Also read: Jasmine Paolini Hopes to Improve on her Game after Aryna Sabalenka’s Demolition at the WTA Finals

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