‘Emotional’ Novak Djokovic discusses his ‘favorite part of the day’ away from tennis, bringing out his refreshing views on fatherhood

Novak Djokovic gets emotional on The Today Show as he converses about his children and the hardship of being away from them during long Tours.

‘Emotional’ Novak Djokovic discusses his ‘favorite part of the day’ away from tennis, bringing out his refreshing views on fatherhood

Novak Djokovic (Via Youtube and Tennis Channel)

Spending time away from family is particularly hard for anyone, especially athletes who have to be away from their loved ones for an extensive period of time.

And that’s precisely what 24-time Grand Slam title champion Novak Djokovic talked about recently. The World No. 1 got emotional on The Today Show while talking about his 9-year-old son Stefan and his 6-year-old daughter Tara. 

YouTube video

The Australian Open series is one of the longest stretches of the early-season calendar, demanding extensive practice sessions from players including Djokovic. Starting on December 28th, the Serbian was busy playing for his country at the United Cup before the start of the 15-day Australian Open.

During an interview on The Today Show, host Karl Stefanovic pulled a couple of videos of Djokovic spending time with his children, dressing up and pranking them. On the verge of getting emotional, the dad of two opens up about spending quality time with his family. 

Dads should play with their children all the time. And I mean that’s like my favorite part of the day just when I have their attention and when they have my attention and we are fully present, and we play and we invent stuff. It’s the best. I’m getting emotional right now, I miss them, I’ll see them in a few days.
Djokovic said

Additionally, Djokovic opened up about his favorite part of the day, which involves spending quality time with his children and making them laugh. With that being said, there is no denying that a pumped-up Djokovic is excited about returning home to his children after the Tour.

Novak Djokovic was hilariously annoyed about having missed his daughter Tara’s first tooth fall

Family man Novak Djokovic got real on The Today Show as he conversed about missing his family and how annoyed he can get at missing his children’s important moments.

Jelena and Novak Djokovic
Jelena and Novak Djokovic ( Credits: Good Housekeeping)

The host, Stefanovic, asked him about how the 36-year-old had been coping with staying away from his family for a long period of time. Struggling with being away from his kids, Djokovic opens up about missing his children and how he usually misses their firsts. 

As his children are growing, they tend to grow at a reasonable age, and due to his time on tour, Djokovic misses the beauty of watching his children grow.

Every day, every week, they change and you know my daughter’s first tooth went out and I wasn't there for that. But at the same time, it's all about balance.
Continuing further, he added

Furthermore, as per the tennis professional himself, he recently missed his daughter’s first tooth fall. At the tender age of 6, his daughter Tara lost her first milk tooth, and Djokovic was not present during that time. Jokingly, he seemed annoyed at having missed an important moment. 

After a disappointing loss against young talent and the eventual winner of the 2024 Australian Open, Jannik Sinner, in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, gave the Serbian an early date to head back to his family. Despite losing in the semi-finals, Djokovic remains the World No. 1 and has reached another milestone of running at 410 weeks as World No. 1.

In Case You Missed It: