Novak Djokovic's confession about relationship with wife Jelena - 'It can be stressful'

Novak Djokovic is hoping to secure an elusive, record-extending 25th grand slam at the US Open. The world No. 7 has reached the semi-finals of each of the three other Grand Slams this year but has not won a major since the US Open in 2023 - something he is looking to remedy at Flushing Meadows this time around.

He has now progressed to the round of 16 after a dominant 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Cameron Norrie in the third round on Friday. Cheering him on, as ever, will be his wife Jelena, and their two children, Stefan, 10, and Tara, 7. Djokovic began dating his childhood sweetheart at the age of 18 and married her several years later in July 2014. He has frequently been vocal about the overwhelmingly positive impact Jelena has had on his life on and off the court. But despite her unyielding support of the 24-time Grand Slam winner, the couple have also been honest in the past about the trials and tribulations they have encountered, thanks to his intense personality required to thrive at the top level.

In a previous on-court interview, Djokovic referred to himself as a "wolf" and explained the phrase means that being in a relationship with him can be challenging. "It can be very stressful to run with the wolf. I know that she doesn't enjoy it at all times. It's kind of living on the edge with the wolf," Djokovic admitted.

The 38-year-old said he "carries" wolf traits within him, something his wife struggles with at times, but claimed it is 'useful energy'. "That dynamic energy sometimes turns into a roar or an outburst," he said.

Jelena has also shared her own thoughts on being married to one of the best and most recognisable sportspeople on the planet. She explained that losing her privacy and becoming well-known on the sports circuit has its challenges.

"We look at public figures and think that kind of publicity is okay," she said. "But as time goes on, you lack anonymity, you lack the privacy to be able to do whatever you like at any time, in any situation. I try to resist all these expectations to always be myself and for Novak to be able to be himself."

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But Djokovic has had to adapt to make their relationship work, having said that while growing up in Serbia, he was encouraged by his father not to show his emotions or ever cry in an effort to project toughness. That meant he initially couldn't express himself emotionally to his girlfriend and later, wife

"Basically, she's the only very serious relationship that I've ever had," he once said. "She's my rock. She's someone that has seen the worst and the best sides of me. She has seen my evolution. She has challenged me on every level. We have grown together, and we have two beautiful children, and we still keep on growing and evolving.

"She has been an incredible partner in this whole journey, professionally, privately, emotionally, romantically, as a parent as well. So I still play at this level because also of the support that she's giving to our family back home. And I remind myself of that a lot."

In 2017, amid nagging elbow problems, Djokovic announced he was taking the rest of the year off following a quarter-final exit at Wimbledon. The following year, when Djokovic returned to action after elbow surgery early in the season, he struggled to get back to his previous form, suffering early defeats in both Indian Wells and Miami.

As Jelena recalled in a 2020 interview with Graham Bensinger, after losing in Miami, Djokovic told her and the rest of his team that he was through with tennis. He wasn't sure for how long but wanted his team to inform sponsors that there was no guarantee he would ever return to the court. Jelena, however, was able to change his mind.

She recalled: "He didn't want to play tennis and he didn't even want to see a ball pass in front of him. He didn't want to know anything about it. But I love tennis and I take the kids to the court every day. On the third day Novak arrived. He saw that we were having fun and that it wasn't a workout like what he had been used to for years. Novak asked me if he could play and get a racket, but I refused.

"I started teasing him and told him that he had given up. That it was our turn to play tennis. In the end he served and said that he felt good, then he came back every day to finally call his coach Marian Vajda and ask him to resume training."

Since then, Djokovic has won 12 Grand Slams, double the amount he had before considering retirement. Jelena has also jumped to her husband's defence publicly on a number of occasions, such as the Covid-19 jab saga and when he was accused of drinking a 'magic potion' during the Paris Masters in November 2022.