Inside the wacky world of Jelena Djokovic

• The Serbian- born model has shared some controversial views online 

Novak Djokovic is set to lose his World Number 1 status in tennis as he pulls out of the French Open – but as he recuperates from injury at home with his family, he will still be the main man in the eyes of his wife, Jelena.

The model and businesswoman, is the tennis ace’s teenage sweetheart, is almost always present in the stands for her husband’s nail-biting matches.

And, aside from the odd on-court domestic row such as the tense exchange they shared yesterday during his five-set thriller with Francisco Cerundulo, she tends to keep her cool no matter how high the stakes.

Perhaps 37-year-old Jelena’s emphasis on mindfulness comes from her intense focus on meditation; something in which she deeply believes. The mother-of-two has previously credited the art of meditation with easing her stress and anxiety.

While many people in the western world have discovered the Indian art of meditation in recent years and will likely relate to Jelena’s love of the practice, they might be slightly less in-tune with some of her other beliefs – including that the Covid-19 pandemic was caused by 5G masts.

She has also previously written about the importance of serving her ‘purpose’ in life so you can serve the ‘greater good’; and in recent months she has teamed up to host events and run projects with controversial therapist Gabor Mate. 

Jelena, who was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, moved away from her native country at the age of 18 to study abroad; first in Italy and then in Monaco.

She met Novak at high school and the pair have been together ever since. In the early days of their relationship, Jelena juggled studying and modelling, starring in several high profile campaigns.

They married in 2014 in the grounds of Montenegro’s exclusive Aman Sveti Stefan resort while Jelena was pregnant with their first child, Stefan. 

Jelena helps to run the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which raises money for childhood education and inclusive early education programmes for children disadvantaged communities.  

However, while she dedicates much of her time to philanthropy and is seen to represent worthy causes, some of Jelena’s whacky beliefs have previously landed her in hot water with fans.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she was slapped with a ‘false information’ notice on Instagram after she shared a video which suggested the cause of the pandemic had been associated with 5G masts.Jelena posted a 10-minute video of US-based Dr Thomas Cowan which falsely explained that 5G played a role in creating the coronavirus pandemic.

She was heavily criticised for spreading ‘fake news’ given her platform to reach almost half a million people through Instagram.

Instagram made the decision to step in through what they call ‘independent fact checkers’ and the video is now covered by a ‘False Information’ screen whenever anyone visits her profile.

She later clarified her position in a statement, insisting that she has taken an interest in the field, rather than explicitly endorsed the theory at this point as she is ‘not claiming to be true or not’.

‘I shared the video a few days ago for one reason only – it mentions the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, which is relevant to my area of ​​interest and business, and hence my interest in this video was larger than the sea of ​​other content I get,’ the statement, shared by EssentiallySports, read.

‘Specifically, Steiner schools and kindergartens are located in 76 countries (Waldorf schools) and for some time I have been meeting with their work and studying the curriculum. Steiner’s philosophy and work on biodynamic agriculture have encouraged me to learn more, which I have devoted myself to in recent months.

‘So, it makes sense to me, I’m not claiming to be true or not, but I’m certainly interested in learning and getting informed about it.’

The clarifying statement appears to follow previous writings about learning that Jelena has shared on her blog – which doesn’t appear to have been updated for several years. 

In the ‘about me’ section of her blog, she wrote: ‘I would like to be remembered as a curious soul who loves life and lifelong learning. The roles I take on in this life are helping me grow in so many ways.’

She added that she believed her children, Stefan and Tara, had been her biggest teachers in life. 

‘They have reconnected me with my true self, helped me unveil my soul, and showed me how to lead a more meaningful life,’ she said. 

She also wrote in another post: ‘The beauty of being a seeker of knowledge is that you can take any path you’d like. There is no right or wrong, there is just a process of learning and shaping and growing. It can take you anywhere.’

Among her entrepreneurial projects include a magazine, Original, which appears to now be defunct but published several issues in 2017.

Speaking about Original on her blog, Jelena said she intended for the publication to be ‘a platform that unites like-minded people who seek knowledge, inspiration and want to go through life and business by following values of honesty, integrity, respect, and love’.

One of the cover stars of the magazine during its print run was Elisabeth Moss, an actor best known for The Handmaid’s Tale, and a member of the controversial church of Scientology.

Recently, Jelena’s work has seen her partner with controversial therapist Gabor Maté, whose views were put under the microscope in 2022 when he conducted an interview with Prince Harry.

The Canadian-Hungarian psychologist, who says he is a trauma expert, has 20 years’ experience working with people suffering from addiction and mental illness, with other specialisms such as stress and child development.

However, his work in using the psychedelic drug ayahuasca to treat mentally ill patients once saw him scolded by the Canadian government, as it remains illegal in Canada, as well as the US and the UK.   

The psychedelic plant, which is taken as a brewed drink, causes people to experience hallucinations and other side effects, including vomiting.

Ayahuasca has traditionally been used by shamans and traditional healers but is now popular among Western tourists.

As Jelena hails the power of meditation in learning how to heal the mind and soul, she described the practice as a ‘game changer’ in her life.

She even believes that meditation may have the power to rid the body of ‘disease’ by reaching ‘harmony’ within the self.

‘When you are in this state of harmony, there is no room for disease,’ she wrote.

She also cited a quote from the authors of Relaxation Revolution, by Dr Herbert Benson and William Proctor, that declared science ‘reductive’.

The quote from the book reads: ‘It is no overstatement to say that virtually every single health problem and disease can be improved with a mind-body approach.’ 

Away from her controversial views, Jelena is full of praise for her ‘champion’ husband and dedicated a blog post to his tennis success in the past.

Gushing over her husband’s character, she said: ‘Novak does not allow anyone to put limits on his capabilities because he doesn’t want to be constrained. He believes in constant growth and improvement and he doesn’t let it come to him by chance. 

‘He is the one chasing it. When he reaches one peak, he looks for another one to climb. He listens and respects other people’s opinions, but he is never defined by them.’