The wife of world No.1 Novak Djokovic has opened up about the difficulties of living in the public eye and the growing influence of social media.
Jelena Djokovic spoke out about the issue in a rare interview with Serbian website Vesti Online. The 33-year-old admits that she has found it tough to deal with constant media scrutiny over the years due to her husband’s achievements in sport. Novak is a 17-time grand slam champion and has won 78 ATP titles. Regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in modern history, he is a member of the prestigious Big Three along with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
“When you are young, the spotlight and attention certainly feel comfortable.” She told Vesti Online.
“At first, the experience does not alarm you because it can bring you some difficulties. We look at public figures and think that kind of publicity is okay.
“But as time goes on, you lack anonymity, you lack the privacy to be able to do whatever you like at any time, in any situation.
“I try to resist all these expectations to always be myself and for Novak to be able to be himself.”
Some of the issues Jelena has had to deal with in the past include media speculation surrounding the strength of her marriage. A series of outlets had linked Novak to Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone back in 2016 after the two were spotted together attending the event. Numerous theories have also surfaced online regarding her previous absences from grand slam tournaments.
Perhaps the most difficult comments she had face has been ones directly made about her appearance.
“That is probably why I am being criticised by the public ‘why didn’t I wear makeup’ or ‘why wasn’t I always wearing heels.’ She said.
“But I decided that between the way I see and love myself and what the public expects, I choose not to disappoint myself.”
Jelena believes it is harder to maintain a private life due to the growing influence of social media. The director of the Djokovic foundation currently has more than 127,000 followers on Twitter.
“The development of technology and social networks have contributed to making the lives of public figures available at all times.” She explained.
“I am aware that as a wife of a popular athlete I might be interesting for the tabloids, that is why I try not to give them much material to write about me.”
There is no chance that Jelena will be having a quieter life anytime soon with her husband remaining at the top of his sport for the foreseeable future. The two started dating back in 2005 and got married in 2014. They have two children called Stefan and Tara.
