Novak Djokovic has spent two decades sharing nearly everything about his life on a tennis court, yet his personal relationships have mostly stayed out of the spotlight. That changed during a wide-ranging sit-down on Piers Morgan Uncensored, where the Serbian star revealed a detail about his wife, Jelena, that even longtime fans had never heard before.
Jelena, he explained, once dated a tennis player who happens to be one of his own friends, a relationship that predates his own romance with her by several years. Djokovic admitted the subject remains sensitive for both men involved, and that neither has ever fully discussed it with the other.
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What Happened
Djokovic sat down with Piers Morgan for an hour-long interview that covered his career, his outlook on artificial intelligence in sports, and his own longevity as a 38-year-old still competing at the top level. Partway through the conversation, the discussion turned to his personal life and how he first came to know Jelena, now his wife of more than a decade.
Djokovic explained that although Jelena had also played tennis growing up, the two never actually met through the sport. Instead, she was previously seeing a different tennis player, someone Djokovic has considered a friend since his early playing days.
The story of how Djokovic first heard Jelena’s name has become the most shared part of the interview. He recalled that his friend, a player from the same tennis club, won an important regional league match and pulled off his jersey afterward to reveal a message written on the shirt underneath. The shirt read, “Jelena, I love you. This is for you.” Djokovic and his teammates found the gesture amusing at the time, joking about how over the top it seemed before asking who this Jelena even was.
Years later, Novak Djokovic said, he and Jelena crossed paths again through a shared circle of friends they had known for four to five years, including one of his closest friends who had gone to school with her. The two eventually began their own relationship once Djokovic relocated to Monte Carlo to pursue his professional career.
When Morgan asked whether Djokovic still keeps in touch with the friend Jelena once dated, Djokovic confirmed the two remain friendly and that the other man has since moved on and built his own family. He said the two of them simply do not discuss the past relationship, describing it as something they both prefer to leave alone. “We are both very uncomfortable about speaking about it,” Djokovic said.
Background Story: How Novak and Jelena Djokovic’s Love Story Began
Novak and Jelena grew up in Serbia and attended the same high school, where they were part of the same social circle years before becoming a couple. The two were together for eight years before Djokovic proposed in 2013, which means their romance took root around 2005, when Djokovic was still a teenager building his professional career.
Their early years together were shaped by distance and modest circumstances rather than glamour. Jelena has said she focused on earning scholarships as a top student, which eventually led her to Bocconi University in Milan, where she studied luxury brand management, while Djokovic was a young player with little money to spare for travel. She once described the arrangement to Hello Magazine as something that felt almost impossible to sustain, given how far out of reach flights and trips were for both of them at the time.
Djokovic proposed in 2013, and the couple married the following year in a private ceremony in Montenegro, just days after he won his second Wimbledon title. He later told Hello Magazine that seeing Jelena walk toward him in her wedding dress felt like watching an angel, and that he tried to stay present in the moment. The couple share two children, son Stefan and daughter Tara.
The Unnamed Rival: Why Djokovic Has Not Named Him
Despite the level of detail Djokovic offered about the shirt, the regional match, and years of overlapping friend groups, he stopped short of naming the tennis player Jelena had dated. No outlet covering the interview has identified the man either, and Djokovic has given no indication that he plans to.
What is clear from Djokovic’s own account is that the two remain on good terms and see each other occasionally, with neither one bringing up the old relationship. That restraint fits a broader pattern in how Djokovic talks about people close to him. He was willing to share a lighthearted anecdote about how he first heard Jelena’s name, but drew a clear line around any detail that might put a friend, who by his own description has since built a family of his own, in an awkward spotlight.
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Why This Interview Matters
Djokovic’s appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored carried extra weight given the history between the two men. Morgan had been openly critical of Djokovic back in January 2022, when Australian authorities canceled his visa over vaccination requirements and barred him from competing in that year’s Australian Open. Djokovic acknowledged that history directly before the interview aired, posting on social media that the two had not always agreed but were sitting down together regardless.
Beyond the Jelena revelation, the hour-long conversation also touched on Jannik Sinner’s doping ban and Djokovic’s own thoughts on how that controversy will follow Sinner’s career. The Serbian star also weighed in on artificial intelligence in professional sports, telling Morgan he remains firmly against the idea of chips or robotics being installed in athletes’ bodies. For a player who has spent years guarding his family’s privacy, sharing something as personal as his wife’s dating history, on a platform once openly critical of him, marked one of the more candid moments of his public career.
Djokovic and Jelena Today
More than a decade into their marriage, Djokovic has repeatedly described Jelena as the longest and most serious relationship of his life, calling her the true love of his life during the Piers Morgan interview. Jelena has remained a visible presence throughout his career, watching from the stands at major tournaments and continuing her involvement with the Novak Djokovic Foundation, the couple’s charitable organization supporting early childhood education in Serbia.
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She has also built her own connections within the sport, including a friendly rapport with current world number one Aryna Sabalenka, whom she met during Wimbledon events. The two couples have gone on a double date together, with Sabalenka later sharing photos from the outing on social media.
Where Djokovic’s Career Stands in 2026
The personal revelation arrived at a moment when Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, was still competing at the sport’s highest level. Roughly two and a half months after the Piers Morgan interview, Djokovic outlasted Jannik Sinner in a five-set semifinal to reach the 2026 Australian Open final, becoming the oldest man in the Open Era to reach a men’s singles final at Melbourne Park. The run also made him the first player in history to reach 400 Grand Slam match wins, finishing the tournament with 402.
Djokovic ultimately lost the final to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, which ended his bid for a record-extending twenty-fifth major title and snapped his unbeaten run in Australian Open finals. By July, he had reached the Wimbledon semifinals for a record eighth consecutive year, before falling to Sinner in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
At 39 years old, Djokovic remains one of the most closely followed athletes in the world, which helps explain why a personal aside about his wife’s dating history, shared during a months-old interview, continues to circulate among fans and entertainment outlets alike.
Interesting Facts About Novak and Jelena Djokovic
- Djokovic announced his engagement to Jelena on social media in September 2013, calling her his fiancee and future wife.
- Jelena wore a gown designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen at their 2014 wedding in Montenegro.
- Jelena studied luxury brand management at Bocconi University in Milan while Djokovic’s career was taking off.
- Jelena has been closely involved with the Novak Djokovic Foundation since its early years, alongside her modeling work.
- Jelena has developed a friendly relationship with WTA world number one Aryna Sabalenka, whom she met through tennis social events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Novak Djokovic really say his wife dated his friend?
Yes. During a November 2025 interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Djokovic said his wife Jelena previously dated a tennis player who is a friend of his from his early playing days.
Who is the tennis player Jelena Djokovic dated before Novak?
Djokovic did not name the individual during the interview, and no media outlet covering the story has identified him. Djokovic has only said the two remain friendly and do not discuss the past relationship.
What did Novak Djokovic say made the situation uncomfortable?
Djokovic told Piers Morgan that he and the friend have never directly discussed Jelena’s past relationship with him, adding that they are both very uncomfortable talking about it.
When did Novak Djokovic and Jelena start dating?
Djokovic and Jelena were together for eight years before he proposed in 2013, which means their relationship began around 2005, when Djokovic was a teenager just starting his professional career.
When did Novak Djokovic marry Jelena?
The couple married in 2014, days after Djokovic won his second Wimbledon title.
How many children do Novak and Jelena Djokovic have?
The couple has two children, son Stefan and daughter Tara.
What happened at the 2026 Australian Open final?
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in four sets, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, to win his first Australian Open title.
Why did Novak Djokovic agree to an interview with Piers Morgan given their past friction?
Morgan had publicly criticized Djokovic in 2022 over the visa cancellation that kept him out of that year’s Australian Open. Both men nonetheless agreed to an open conversation, which Djokovic acknowledged directly on social media before the interview aired.
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Last Updated on August 31, 2026 by 247 News Around The World
