Novak Djokovic's Wife, Jelena Once Dated His Friend, And Rival Tennis Player, The Topic Is Off Limit

Famous Tennis sensation, Novak Djokovic, is all over the news for beating Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Australian Open 2026. He is just a step away from adding the 11th Australian Open Trophy to his cabinet. He will now face Carlos Alcaraz in the finals on February 1, 2026.

However, apart from his iconic win, he made another record. Novak Djokovic became the oldest man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open Final. While fans are hailing his win, let's know more about his wife and how she once dated his rival tennis player before they started dating. 

Novak Djokovic's wife, Jelena Djokovic, once dated his rival tennis player and friend

Novak Djokovic is 38 years old, but the Serbian star was just 18 when he fell in love with his now-wife, Jelena. While the couple are blessed with two children and happily married, not many know that Novak's wife, Jelena, dated his friend and rival tennis player. For the unversed, Jelena started her journey as a tennis player, but she soon left the game. However, once Djokovic revealed that he first met his wife, Jelena, while she was dating his friend and rival tennis player during their teens. 

Novak Djokovic met Jelena when she attended her then-boyfriend's and his friend's tennis match

Novak Djokovic talked about the same while speaking to Piers Morgan Uncensored. He revealed that Jelena was dating his friend. His first encounter with her was when he saw a romantic message for Jelena written on his friend's t-shirt. Novak revealed that he believes in destiny, as he never met Jelena while she was playing tennis. He was quoted as saying:

"I believe in destiny for sure. She used to play tennis but we never met through tennis while she was playing it, but she dated one tennis player that is a friend of mine from early days. It was funny, because the first time I heard about her was when that friend, who was in the same tennis club as me, played a match in the regional tennis league and we won, an important match."

Recalling the moment, Novak revealed that he saw his father take out his journey, and underneath the jersey he had a white shirt, on which it was written, 'Jelena, I love you. This is for you.' That's when he wondered who was Jelena. He said:

"He took out his jersey and underneath the jersey he had a white shirt written, ‘Jelena, I love you. This is for you’. And we were like, ‘Oh my god, that’s so lame, why would you do that?’ And then, ‘Who is this Jelena?’ And it was her."

Novak Djokovic further revealed that they met shortly after the incident, as they had the same friend circles for about four to five years. He revealed that Jelena was friends with his best friend, with whom he went to school. So, they had the same company, but they began dating when he went to live in Monte Carlo. He revealed that she was the only serious relationship he had. 

Novak Djokovic is still friends with the one whom Jelena dated 

In the same interview, Djokovic revealed that he is still friends with the player she once dated, but they never discussed the topic as it is off limits. He stated that he has moved on in his life and has a family, but discussing the relationship is very uncomfortable for them. He said:

"I actually spoke to him. I really have. He’s good. He moved on, he has his family. No, we actually never spoke about it. We are both very uncomfortable. We still remain mates, so it’s good."

It is worth mentioning that Novak Djokovic and Jelena Djokovic are couple goals. Jelena never missed a single match of Novak and always rooted the loudest for him.  

Next Read: Meet Novak Djokovic's Wife, Jelena Djokovic, Businesswoman, Humanitarian, His Childhood Sweetheart

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