Inside Novak Djokovic’s relationship with charity director wife Jelena

She’s been Novak Djokovic’s biggest champion on his rollercoaster ride to becoming the greatest tennis player of all time. 

His wife Jelena has rarely been far from the Serbian sporting icon’s side during a glittering career which has seen him win a record-breaking 24 Grand Slam titles.

But her role as Djokovic’s greatest cheerleader took an unexpected detour at the French Open – when the pair became embroiled in an extraordinary exchange of verbal volleys. 

It happened in the early hours of the morning in Paris as an injury-ravaged Djokovic fought an epic battle with Argentina’s Francisco Cerundulo.

With the match still in the balance in the deciding set, Djokovic reacted angrily to losing a point and was shouting furiously as he walked past the players’ box. Internet sleuths have suggested he exploded with rage and yelled, ‘I could kill right now!’

Jelena – who was dressed for the rainy conditions in a trench coat – rose to her feet and waved her arms around as she screamed back towards her husband.

It led to one fan commenting on social media to concede that the couple ‘still have time for wife and husband stuff.’

And even John McEnroe – who was infamous for his on-court outbursts during his playing days – seemed taken aback.

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In a TV commentary of the match he said: ‘Going at it with the missus.’

Whatever was said in the heated encounter seemed to work as Djokovic, 37, battled to a thrilling five-set victory.

After the match Jelena shared a post from a relieved fan on Instagram and added the caption: ‘We gotta figure out how to watch this drama without a heart attack guys…’

Sadly, the world number one went on to withdraw from the tournament before his quarter final match after suffering a knee injury on the ‘slippery’ Roland Garros clay courts.

Djokovic – who has netted a staggering £142million in prize money during his career – now faces a battle to regain his fitness before attempting to land his eighth Wimbledon championship next month.

And no doubt Jelena, also 37, will be in the stands cheering him all the way.

The couple met at high school in Serbia, first playing tennis together then began dating in the early 2000s.

Their romance blossomed despite Djokovic launching his professional career while Jelena moved to Italy to study luxury brand management at Bocconi University in Milan.

Jelena once recalled: ‘Us getting together was like science fiction almost. I was a student barely getting by, and he was a very young tennis player who also had no money to spare on expensive trips.

‘Airplanes were, at the time, something utterly out of our reach. We contrived and devised these plans: how to meet, how to make our relationship work.’

After graduating the couple set up home together in Monte Carlo, where Jelena attended the International University of Monaco for her master’s degree.

Their relationship went from strength to strength alongside Djokovic’s career after he won his first Grand Slam aged 18 at the Australian Open in 2008.

After dating for a number of years, the couple married in 2014 at Aman Sveti Stefan Resort in Montenegro, when Jelena was pregnant with their first child.

Their son Stefan was born in October 2014 and daughter Tara in September 2017.

Djokovic said: ‘Whether I’m winning or losing, she’s always there. Family’s always there. When I go back home, I’m not a tennis player anymore. I’m a father and a husband,’ he said years ago.

‘That’s a kind of balance that I think allows me to play this well. Ever since I got married and became a father, I haven’t lost many matches, I won many tournaments. I suggest that to every player, ‘Get married, have kids, let’s enjoy this.’

But the couple’s love match hasn’t been without its ups and downs.

Jelena admitted their romance felt like ‘mission impossible’ and she was forced to quit a job at an oil company to spend more time with her husband as he jetted around the world.

Before they married, questions were asked over Djokovic’s friendship with Serbian pop star Natasa Bekvalac over claims they had been exchanging text messages.

She has always denied any hint of an affair.

In 2016 rumours were circulated after Djokovic was pictured leaving celebrity hangout The Nice Guy with Bollywood film star Deepika Padukone.

Meanwhile an Italian newspaper also claimed he is followed around the world by a sexy ‘super fan’ from Canada who posts photos of herself courtside at his matches.

The woman, only identified by her first name Victoria, said she is a lawyer and has an Instagram account with the name Legally _Blonde.

Djokovic has also been linked to American celebrity chef Lauren Von Der Pool, 33, who cooked for Venus and Serena Williams and first met Djokovic in 2012 when she gave him dieting tips.

She posted three pictures on Instagram of her with Djokovic but denied any romantic involvement.

Then there was his ex-girlfriend Lidija Popovic – who spoke of their continuing ’emotional bond.’ – while insisting the tennis ace would never cheat on his wife.

Lidija – Serbia’s highest paid female DJ who performs under the name Lady Lee – told MailOnline: ‘He was my big love. We were very young, just teenagers.

But she added: ‘As far as I know he is happily married.

‘It doesn’t matter what other people say. He is married, people should not talk about him.’

She spoke out in 2017 as Djokovic admitted that ‘private issues’ have affected his form since he won the French Open the previous year.

Djokovic was photographed around that time with Russian healthy living guru Tanya Maher – a raw food and wellness coach who owns Tanya’s Cafe, located within the MyHotel in upmarket Chelsea.

The married mother-of-one posted a photo of her and the star on Instagram and gushed: ‘My hero! This man knows how to do life and be an awesome human doing awesome things. What an honour it is to be in his presence.’

Tennis legend McEnroe added fuel to the fire by comparing Djokovic’s alarming dip in form – to Tiger Woods’ troubles while commentating for the BBC on Wimbledon.

McEnroe said Djokovic has ‘off court issues with the family.’

He added: ‘The person that comes to mind immediately with Novak is not a tennis player, it’s actually a golfer: Tiger Woods.

‘Woods had the issues with his wife and then he seemed to go completely off the rails and has never been even close to being the same player. So we’re starting to say: ‘Wait a minute, is this possible with him, Djokovic?’

Djokovic expressed surprise at the comments but responded diplomatically: ‘He has his right to say the things he wants to say. I don’t necessarily need to agree with that. But it’s his right.’

While there is no proof of any affairs, Djokovic’s ‘private issues’ coincided with a drop in form when the defending champion and red-hot favourite crashed out of Wimbledon in the third round 2016.

He then pulled out of a Davis Cup match against Great Britain for his beloved Serbia saying he needed to spend more time with his wife and young son Stefan.

Djokovic said at the time: ‘We all have private issues and things that are more challenges than issues.

‘Things that we have to encounter and overcome in order to evolve as a human being. It was resolved. Life is going on like everything else.’

Speculation about the state of his marriage only increased after Jelena went on holiday alone immediately after the Wimbledon defeat.

Weeks later she sat with a glum face in New York as Djokovic defended his US Open title and left before the end of his opening match.

In 2019 concerns for the couple’s marriage were raised again after Djokovic won his fifth Wimbledon title – while Jelena failed to attend any of his matches during the tournament.

Their fifth wedding anniversary on July 10 also went unmarked in public – in stark contrast to the previous year when Jelena posted a doting anniversary message: ‘Love loving you my love.’

In response Djokovic praised his wife, calling her his ‘soulmate’ and saying she’d taught him why love is so important.

Djokovic explained Jelena’s absence as due to his daughter being too young to attend at the time.