Jelena Djokovic has revealed how she felt when she was looked at as only a wife of the best tennis player.
“My ego was there battling,” When Novak Djokovic’s wife Jelena Djokovic beautifully opened up about the struggles of being with a professional athlete

Novak and Jelena Djokovic (Source: People)

Novak Djokovic is one of the top athletes in the world at the moment. With as many as 24 Grand Slam titles to his credit, the Serbian sits atop the list of the greatest tennis players of all time.

While Djokovic continues to inspire people on the court and continues to get recognition, his wife Jelena Djokovichas talked about a really sensitive issue that is barely discussed.

Jelena who has been married to Djokovic for over ten years now and has two beautiful kids, has talked about the darker side of being married to the best tennis player in the world.

Although her comments are from three years back, they are worth resisting to understand what goes into the heads of those who are associated with some biggest names in their field.

While appearing on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Jelena talked about her mental battle with herself as she tried to compete with Djokovic to prove her worth. She revealed how she felt like not getting enough credit for what she was doing behind the scenes.

I think this is gonna be brave to say to millions of people watching but I was trying to compete with him because I felt like, 'I'm also deserving and I'm not getting enough credit for what I'm doing because I'm doing it more in the backstage.' My ego was there battling also, an internal battle, because I always felt like I can express so much more but I have to do it quietly

Jelena Djokovic reveals how she made peace with being recognized as Novak Djokovic’s wife

Jelena Djokovic also talked about the perception people have of an athlete’s wife or girlfriend and about how they should look and behave. She then went on to claim that she never fit into that stereotype but has no regrets about it either. In fact, she is happy that she chose to be herself although people judged her for that.
Novak Djokovic with wife JelenaNovak Djokovic with wife Jelena Djokovic (Image via Hello)
Talking further, Jelena said that while she tried to behave in a certain way, it did not inspire her for a long time and she eventually felt like proving everyone wrong that athlete’s wives of girlfriends cannot do anything other than fashion and looks. Jelena then talked about her transformation where she made peace with the fact that she will be recognised as Novak Djokovic’s wife.

So, I had to invent my place and that was a competition like, 'I'm gonna prove it, you know.' I'm gonna prove something that we can be other things than just a girlfriend or just a wife. Always I am the wife, but now I'm proudly wearing that title rather than feeling, 'Well, here we go. Wife! Okay, let me sit and smile.' So, it's a great transformation for me.

Jelena Djokovic said.

While Jelena might have struggled to cope with things happening around her, she definitely has evolved. She now tries to fulfill her responsibilities as a wife better than anyone else. She travels with Djokovic wherever he goes, cheers for him from the box, and also ensures that the Novak Djokovic Foundation runs smoothly.