Tennis great Novak Djokovic may be most well-known for his prowess on the court, but away from the limelight he’s a loving husband and doting father.
The 37-year-old recently celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary with wife Jelena Djokovic, 38, and his tribute to her was beyond beautiful.
“Ten years of joy, Ten years of dreams, Ten years as islands, Ten years as streams,” he began in a post on Instagram.
“Ten years as parents, Ten years as one, Ten years of dancing, Ten years of fun.
“Ten years of yoga, Ten years we stretch, Ten years of dogs, Ten years go fetch.
“Ten years of flying, Ten years at sea, Ten years of you, The best part of me.
“Ten years of tennis, Ten years of balls, Ten years of triumph, Ten years of falls.
“Ten years as teammates, Ten years together, Ten years Jelena, I love you forever.”
The beautiful poem written by Novak was accompanied by a video compilation of some of the couple’s greatest moments together, alongside the song Islands In the Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
The former world number one has been with his wife Jelena Ristic (now Djokovic) since 2005, and the pair actually met in high school during the 1990s!
Speaking of their romance, Jelena said, “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.”
It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the couple either, as the beginning of their romance was long-distance, due to Jelena studying abroad. Following the completion of her degree, she then got a high-intensity job that put a strain on their relationship.
She was spending so much time at the office that she barely saw Novak, who at the time was working his way up in the tennis world.
“At a certain point, Novak told me, ‘Darling, we cannot go on like this,'” she told PEOPLE.
Jelena eventually left the job and became the National Director of the Novak Djokovic Foundation (NDF), which she co-founded with his family in 2007.
The couple were engaged in September 2013 after eight years of dating, and tied the knot on 10 July 2014 in a beautiful ceremony on Sveti Stefan in Montenegro. At the time of their wedding, Jelena was pregnant with their first child.
“Seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress, smiling and walking towards me… She looked like an angel,” Novak said. “I was trying to be present in that moment and memorise it. I was focused on her, and her smile, and our baby. It really was a perfect moment.”
Jelena felt similarly, saying of their wedding, “I was very nervous and everything seemed a blur. I was seeing him through tears and immediately started crying when I saw him. I was just so happy and probably being pregnant makes it quite difficult to control the emotions. I am so blessed to have him in my life. I couldn’t ask for a better partner than him.”
Novak and Jelena have since welcomed two children together, one son and one daughter.
Their son Stefan was born in October 2014, and they welcomed their daughter Tara in September 2017.
Jelena has been Novak’s biggest supporter over the course of his tennis career, and she has seen him achieve so much success in the sport.
“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,” Novak 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.'”
Jelena can almost always be seen in Novak’s player box, cheering him on courtside, and nowadays she is the global CEO of NDF as well as the director of online blog Original Magazine.
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