Since Novak Djokovic last visited our neck of the woods for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships a year ago, one major thing has changed: he’s become a father.
Bring his four-month-old son Stefan up in conversation, and the No 1 tennis player is nothing but smiles, barely able to contain his wonder over the newest addition to his family. What was the thing that surprised him the most, then, about becoming a parent at 27?
“I can’t pick one thing. Every single thing that happens on a daily basis is a blessing. It’s extraordinary. It is a surprise because you don’t know what to expect; people get to tell you to be prepared for certain things — for cries and smiles and all the different beautiful things that you get to see on your child’s face or body, but it’s a miracle, really. Every day the baby wakes up as a different baby,” he told tabloid!.
During this year’s tournament in the UAE, Djokovic stayed at the illustrious Burj Al Arab for the first time. He was awed by the hotel’s distinctive structure, and said that he would want to bring his son and wife Jelena with him the next time around.
Sitting down for a chat on Friday morning, he quipped that he might even have to move there, despite the sandstorm that had stopped him from enjoying a day out with friends at the Wild Wadi Water Park next door.
Djokovic also mentioned that he and Jelena had just taken Stefan with them back home to freezing Serbia to meet the extended family. Though he had just flown into the UAE the night before, he was already missing the pair.
“Unfortunately they’re not here, but we’ll be together for the next couple of months and I look forward to that,” he said.
“For the baby, it’s better to stay in one place and have their own routines, but a father wants to participate in the child’s life, so they’re going to travel with me and try to travel for 80 per cent of the tournaments that we have,” he added.
Djokovic’s life on-the-go has been a whirlwind on the court and off of it. It’s led him to picking up many an unlikely friend around the world, as well, including none other than Niall Horan of One Direction. After meeting a few years ago, the two have been openly supportive of each other on social media. Horan, 21, cheered Djokovic on between One Direction tour dates at last month’s Australian Open.
But Horan isn’t the only one sitting in the stands to show his support. Djokovic went to see the Irish musician perform in Toronto, Canada during the band’s last tour.
Djokovic told tabloid!: “We first met a couple of years ago when he came to watch me play in O2 Arena [in London]. And you know, ever since then we’ve been in touch. He was now in Australian Open and we saw each other there. We’re chatting all the time, and whenever we get the chance to see each other, we do,” he said.
Last year, the boy bander took to Instagram and Twitter to share a photo of himself and Djokovic with the caption: “I was terrible! But [it] was an amazing experience to play with No. 1 tennis player in the world.” Djokovic was quick to assure him that he didn’t fare so badly.
“No, no man… you were great! Honestly! You only played [three hours] of tennis in your life and you haven’t missed many balls,” he wrote.
“He’s a very nice guy, and of course One Direction is the biggest and most popular boy band in the world and they’re all nice guys. I’ve met them, and they love what they do, which is the most important thing. I admire what they do, as well, because they have lots of performances, lots of concerts, and they bring a lot of energy to teenagers and people around the world. It’s lovely. It’s lovely to have a friendship like that,” he said.
