Tennis Not A Topic, Novak Djokovic And Wife Jelena Talk Foundation Mission In CNN Interview [Video]

by Tom Gainey | February 19th, 2016, 10:05 am
  • 16 Comments

Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena Ristic sat down with CNN’s Amanda Davies for a “rare” interview to discuss their foundation in Serbia.

The World No. 1 who just won a sixth Australian Open didn’t talk tennis at all.


After a few weeks off, Djokovic will be back on court next week in Dubai.


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16 Comments for Tennis Not A Topic, Novak Djokovic And Wife Jelena Talk Foundation Mission In CNN Interview [Video]

Django Says:

She seems very smart and speaks great English. Think she has a master’s from Monaco and undergrad from Milan. They are dedicated humanitarians and I see Nole doing UN work after his career and/or maybe head of Serbia Olympics.


jane Says:

what a great video of them; they are both so eloquent and clearly committed to children and to serbia. big hearts, these two, and smart, and politicized. i love that novak quoted mandela at the end. inspiring. :)


chrisford1 Says:

They both married well.
I hope they have more kids.
Both seem very bright, and to be driven to be superb parents. As well as caring deeply for other people’s kids having solid futures – and wanting to help in that through face to face encouragement and help from the Foundation Nole’s family started.
Both have faced wartime hardship and danger and emerged passionate and purposeful from that experience.
I believe both are destined to do significant things down the road, when Nole’s playing days are over. Inc significant things outside the tennis world.
John McEnroe has been trying to coax Mrs Djokovic up to the broadcast booth for some time now, saying his viewers will enjoy meeting her, learning her views on things, and seeing some tapes of how much she gets into her husband’s matches at times. Calls her very engaging. But so far, no dice.


Wog Boy Says:

Talking about soulmates, this looks like it. Those two are just great match and soulmates, they keep supporting, improving and upgrading each other from the moment they met and start dating in Sports High School in Belgrade. Good luck to all three plus two of them..and hopefully more (kids) to come in the future.


jane Says:

cf1, i’d love to hear her in the booth. ha. that’d be cute. indeed, a few soundbites from a number of the tennis wives/partners might be very revealing.

on another note, wog boy, that’s horrible. :’ (
poor woman.
we can get wrapped up in our sports, that’s for sure. but this reminds us that it’s just a game, after all. jeez. clearly something was wrong with this man in the first place.


Wog Boy Says:

jane, sure it is horrible, they didn’t say if he was Nole’s or Andy’s fan.


jane Says:

true wog boy, but it doesn’t really matter; the point is, he was insane!! :O


Yolita Says:

These two are a golden couple: generous, intelligent, caring, well educated, charismatic, cosmopolitan…
I was watching the other day a video of Novak’s first title in Amersfoort in 2006. Jelena was there, next to Vajda, looking very young and gorgeous.
Who would gave thought then they would become such a power couple.
I believe she has a PhD… Some wonen do have it all. 😀


Yolita Says:

And of course I meant *have*…not ‘gave’


Wog Boy Says:

Yolita,
You are right, after finishing high school, Jelena got scholarship from prestigious Bocconi University in Milan, Italy and finished it. I am pretty sure she did master degree later.


jane Says:

i know she has a masters for sure, so she’s done graduate work. she’s definitely thoughtful, and no shrinking violet either. :)


Humble Rafa Says:

I have just shown this article to my wife, right now, she looks worried..

Skeeze once refused to feed his 12 cats for 3 days after a tennis result he didn’t like.


chrisford1 Says:

His wife took a Masters in luxury brand management and has started her PhD, which I believe is in NGO Administration. Working on that, as time permits. She mentioned that the Masters was a very challenging program – hard work and a lot of lost sleep between that, and being with the Tour before their son was born, and getting Nole’s Foundation off the ground.

I think it is great for the sport that some of the best athletes have accomplished spouses that went to university and did well. David Ferrer’s wife is an elegant, bright grad and optometrist. Xisca is a university grad with a career in business. Andy’s wife has firsts and A-levels in several arts, graduated from university, and is beginning to sell her artwork – animals and landscapes.

Mrs Djokovic also shares Novak’s sense of humor. They did a 2-part short series of ads for Jacob’s Creek on Novak’s 1st date disaster. And a behind the scenes vid of making that and subjecting Nole to some gags she and the film crew suggested. Peanut picking with chopsticks timed contest, and giving Nole a sports bar substitute more suited to his tastes while waiting on the Jacob’s Creek set to be ready for the next shooting sequence.
Watch Djokovic’s reaction to what his wife ordered as a favorite snack of his starting at 0.59:

http://video.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2016/01/09/814103806477186131/640x360_814103806477186131.mp4

And she was apparently the instigator of the funny faces contest she got Novak to mug for the camera with the older actor playing the waiter:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/01/09/15/2FF1261000000578-3391636-Funny_faces_Novak_shows_a_lighter_side_not_often_seen_when_he_is-m-51_1452354009889.jpg

Got to say the old guy bageled Novak. Hands down winner


Wog Boy Says:

“Skeeze once refused to feed his 12 cats for 3 days after a tennis result he didn’t like.”

That is classified as animal cruelty, possible jail term, but with a good solicitor he can get away with good behavior bond.


skeezer Says:

^Yes it is, if you own cats, I don’t, and HR knows it. He is just getting desperate for jokes….again. Now back to my GS Warriors….

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