WATCH: Jelena Djokovic’s old video recalling how Novak Djokovic was ready to retire at 31 due to consistent injury struggles goes viral
Jelena Djokovic shared about the darkest time in Novak Djokovic's career and how he came out of it.
Jelena Djokovic (L), Novak Djokovic (R) (Sources: X/Business Insider)
Novak Djokovic’s wife, Jelena Djokovic, in 2022 shared one of the darkest moments of the player’s career that came about five years ago, when the Serb was suffering from a horrible rough patch. After back-to-back losses, Djokovic was so distressed and frustrated that he almost considered retiring from the sport altogether. However, things turned out well, and he went on to win 12 Grand Slam titles after that.
Five years ago, Djokovic had just returned from a big elbow injury when he lost to Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-4 in the Miami Open. It was his third consecutive straight-set loss after his comeback and it was clear that he was still suffering from the recovery process. It was at that time that the Serb almost decided to retire from tennis. It was revealed by his wife, Jelena Djokovic, in an interview with Graham Bensinger in 2022.
“He said to me that he was quitting and that’s the truth. He lost in Miami – it was a terrible loss and then he just gathered all of us and said, ‘You know what, guys, I’m done.,’’’ Jelena said.
She said that what followed was them (Djokovic’s family) breaking down in tears, questioning his decision, and asking him to keep playing.
Jelena on how she convinced Novak Djokovic to not retire
After that incident, Jelena said that the Djokovic family went on a holiday. She shared that when Novak Djokovic does not play tennis; he is away from the sport. He doesn’t want to see tennis; he doesn’t want to do anything with tennis. However, she and their kids love tennis, so she started taking their kids to the court every day.
On the third and fourth days, Novak eventually showed up and the mood on the court was very light. The kids were actually enjoying the sport, which is very different from what Novak goes through in his training sessions.
The Serb saw how much fun they were having and asked, “Can I have a racket, please?” to which Jelena replied teasingly, “No, you’re not playing anymore. You quit tennis so just leave us on the court; now its our time.”
Eventually, Stefan gave his dad the racket and he started playing with his family every day. On the last day of their holiday, he told Jelena, “You know what, I think I’m gonna call Marian and ask him to be my coach again.” This is how Jelena convinced Novak to continue playing.
In case you missed it:
- Andy Murray explains his beef with barbers which forced his wife Kim to become his permanent hairdresser
- Gael Monfils admits juggling his duties as a father and a professional player is making things difficult as he puts a timeline on his impending retirement
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Rishab Dutta
(794 Articles Published)