Novak Djokovic Praises Wife Jelena for Raising the Kids at Home While He Travels the World—as He Lays Bare ‘Pain’ of Leaving His Family

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has spent decades traveling the world for his career—but the 24-time Grand Slam champion has now admitted that leaving his home, his wife, and his children remains just as "painful" as it was at the very beginning.

Novak, 39, has had a busy few months, competing at Wimbledon, the French Open, the Italian Open, and—most recently—the Cincinnati Masters. He is now hard at work promoting a new Prime Video documentary, "Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter," which premiers on Aug. 20.

Through it all, the tennis pro told People magazine in a new interview, his wife, Jelena Djokovic, has been a calming, supportive presence in his life, ensuring that their home life and children—son Stefan, 12 and daughter Tara, 8—are taken care of, so he can continue chasing his next Grand Slam win.

“She was keeping the household together, nurturing our children, and helping them also overcome—as they’ve grown older—the absence of their father, which is something that hurts me the most, even these days,” he shared.

Novak, who recently relocated from Serbia to Athens, Greece, added that his absence from the family home remains incredibly "painful." However, it has helped him to ensure he is as "present" as possible, when he is lucky enough to spend time with his wife and kids.

“When you leave your kids and your wife, I think it’s not a cliché [to say] it’s actually very painful,” he said. “But you do your work, and you try to do the best that you can. When you come back home, you try to be as present as you possibly can.”

It helps that Novak and Jelena, 40, have a solid foundation.

Meeting in Serbia as teenagers, they reconnected once his career began to take off, while he was training in Monte Carlo and Jelena was studying abroad in Italy.

The duo married in 2014, later welcoming their little ones to the mix.

“She’s been my girlfriend, fiancée, and my wife for more than 20 years,” Novak shared. His relationship with Jelena is the “only serious” romance he’s ever had.

“I’m eternally grateful for her love, her support, the relationship that has evolved over the years,” he continued. “As with any other relationship, it takes sacrifice. It takes a lot of compromise as well, and to grow together.”

The couple have certainly grown an impressive life with each other over the past two decades—building an awe-inspiring portfolio of homes across the globe, including a longtime dwelling in Serbia, which Novak has previously revealed he hopes to retire to one day.

However, having moved his family to Greece, the athlete, who bought the Belgrade dwelling for $1.09 million in 2016, made the decision to list the three-bedroom, three-bathroom property for rent, with an eye-watering ask of $17,542 a night.

For that princely sum, guests can take advantage of the private location on the shores of Pavlovac Lake, which is in close proximity to Novak Cafe and Restaurant—the eatery Novak's parents, Srdjan and Dijana, established in his honor.

Of course, the abode features a tennis court. For those who aren’t as skilled with a racket, there’s still plenty to do. The Belgrade estate has a large wine cellar, private gym, relaxing sauna, resort-style pool, and gaming room furnished with pingpong and pool tables.

In addition to that dwelling and their home in Greece, the tennis legend holds the keys to an $8.3 million abode in Marbella, Spain, and two homes in New York City, which he spent more than $10 million on in 2017.

He also purchased a stunning Miami apartment for $5.77 million in 2017. But he sold that property for $6 million just four years later.

In addition to providing strong support at home, Jelena, Stefan, and Tara sometimes travel to support Novak.

Noting that his son has an interest in tennis, Novak opened up about his approach to balancing fatherhood with his career. While he’d "absolutely" support Stefan if he decided to pursue sports professionally, it’s ultimately the 12-year-old’s prerogative.

“I primarily want him to be happy, to be healthy. I want to be his father. It’s not easy, obviously, being who I am in the tennis world. ... There’s always a curiosity whether he’s going to be pursuing the same journey, but it’s not the same journey. It’s his journey.”

Though Novak already holds the keys to the perfect retirement retreat, there’s no telling just when he’ll slow down. Previously referring to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles as a “guiding star” for the next phase of his life, it sounds like there at least two years of competition ahead.