Novak Djokovic sends strict message to kids after denying son’s wish | Tennis | Sport

Novak Djokovic booked his spot in the third round of the Australian Open with a straightforward 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli, and then admitted that his children should “absolutely not” be watching him. The No. 4 seed and his wife, Jelena, have two kids together, Stefan, 11, and Tara, eight. They are often seen in his box cheering him on at some of the sport’s biggest tournaments, but Jelena and the children have not made the trip Down Under this year.

Djokovic played his second-round match in the day session in Melbourne, so it was the middle of the night back in Europe. But the 10-time champion here didn’t want Stefan or Tara waking up in the middle of the night to watch him in action.

Asked whether they had been allowed to stay up and keep track of his matches, Djokovic replied: “No, no, absolutely not! They are sleeping right now. There are some more important priorities for them, you know, school, homework, their own activities.

“But look, there are no better and bigger supporters that I’ve had than my wife and my kids, for sure, in my life, other than, of course, my family and my brothers, my parents. When I became a father, one of the greatest wishes and dreams I had was to have my kids grow old enough so they realise what is going on, on the court, and what their dad is doing.

“I’ve been very blessed and lucky to experience them watching me in some of the greatest matches I’ve played in my career in the last five, six years. I couldn’t be more happy with that. Obviously, right now, it’s all about them. Their chores, their obligations and activities.”

Djokovic’s kids don’t just understand what’s happening on the tennis court. His son, Stefan, has fallen in love with the sport. He plays himself and enjoys watching other players when he can. At Wimbledon last year, the 11-year-old collected as many player autographs as possible, and he wanted to join his dad Down Under, but wasn’t allowed.

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The No. 4 seed added: “My son wanted to come but, you know, he wants to do everything in order to avoid school, which is understandable! Also, he likes tennis, he likes his daddy as well. But no, I mean, not having them this year, obviously it’s a bit different but I know they are always with me in my heart.”

Djokovic’s wife and kids may not be in Melbourne, but the 38-year-old has an old friend in the city, sort of. The Serbian superstar visits the same tree in the Royal Botanic Gardens every year. It’s become something of a tradition for Djokovic to even hug the tree – and he touched on their special relationship.

“That’s my oldest friend here in Melbourne, he’s been there always to heal my wounds, to basically give me company even when I didn’t want anybody else’s company,” he joked.

“It’s a beautiful connection, nature is such a powerful ally. We sometimes forget about it in this fast-paced life. Melbourne is an incredible city, but for me, my by far favourite place is Botanic Gardens. You guys have one of the nicest parks in the centre of any town I’ve seen. That tree right there is in Botanic Gardens, it is a Brazilian fig tree. I’m not going to tell more secrets about it! But yeah, we have a friendship that is going over 20 years.”