Djokovic's disastrous first date with wife who has become his 'lucky charm'
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic is back on the court this evening as the favourite to take home the trophy once again, but outside of tennis, he's been winning in the romance department also.
The 36-year-old, who has been playing tennis since the age of four, has been married to Jelena Ristić since 2014, with the pair recently starting their own family.
However, their relationship goes back much further than that as the couple actually first met in high school in Serbia. Although it seems sparks may not have flown right away, as while they met in the '90s, they didn't officially start dating until a decade later.
However, things got off to a rocky start when they finally did go on a date, as their first outing was a bit of a disaster. In a video in 2016, produced with Jacob's Creek ahead of the Australian Open, Novak recalled how he almost blew his chances with Jelena after their first date in Monte Carlo at a sports bar.
"In my eyes, at the time it was a very exclusive place to take her," he revealed, before adding: "I wanted to impress her so I found this very good restaurant." And while Jelena wasn't overly impressed by the choice of venue, she also wasn't impressed by what her date ordered for her.
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The couple went on a disastrous first date (PA)
They tied the knot in 2014 (Instagram)Jelena revealed: "Awkward moment, he wants to order for me and it wasn't what I expected." Novak thought he'd ordered steak for her as it was her favourite, however he was horrified when he realised his mistake and a plate of raw meat was served.
"I called the waiter over and explained the steak was underdone," he said, but then was embarrassed to be told: "You ordered the steak tartare it's always served raw."
Clearly, Jelena wasn't too put off by it all though as they're still together and the bad date has made for a funny story to tell. "Whenever we see a steak tartare on the menu it reminds us of our first date," Novak added at the end of the video.
Novak and Jelena went on to get engaged in 2013 after eight years together and they married in July 2014 in a small ceremony at a luxurious seaside resort at Aman Sveti Stefani, overlooking the Adriatic Seas. Speaking to Hello! about the moment he first saw his bride on their wedding day, Novak said: "Seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress, smiling and walking towards me… She looked like an angel.
They have two children together, a son named Stefan and a daughter, called Tara (Getty Images)"I was trying to be present in that moment and memorise it. I was focused on her, and her smile, and our baby. It really was a perfect moment."
Jelena had actually been pregnant on their special day and a few months later in October 2014, they welcomed a son, named Stefan. They've since also had a daughter called Tara in 2017.
Mum-of-two Jelena is a humanitarian and businesswoman and is also a big fan of Instagram. She often shares snaps of their family online, with the stunning 37-year-old previously being praised by many after sharing a "beautiful" picture of her breastfeeding their newborn daughter.
She also notably posted an image of her with her two children outside of the couple's wedding venue, captioning it: "This is where Mommy and Daddy got married while Stefan was still in Mommy's belly. And this island's name is St. Stefan."
Aside from working together to raise their children, the husband and wife also teamed up to co-found a charity, the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which Jelena is CEO of. The charity aims to achieve equal access to early childhood education.
His wife has become his lucky charm and he often wins tournaments on their anniversary (Zabulon Laurent/ABACA/REX/Shutterstock)Novak has previously claimed that his wife is the secret to his success and Jelena has always been his biggest supporter. The tennis superstar claimed his third Wimbledon title on their first anniversary of marriage, beating Roger Federer and after his win, he urged fellow players to get married.
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Speaking after his win, he said: "My anniversary is actually today. Becoming parents in October was another great dimension of love and energy for us. Got us even closer together.
"Whether I'm winning or losing, she's always there. Family's always there. When I go back home, I'm not a tennis player anymore. I'm a father and a husband.
"That's a kind of balance that I think allows me to play this well. Ever since I got married and became a father, I haven't lost many matches, I won many tournaments. I suggest that to every player, 'Get married, have kids, let's enjoy this.'"
Since then Novak and Jelena have found their anniversary to be very lucky, with the tennis star also winning his fourth straight Wimbledon title last year on the same day they celebrated their eighth year of marriage. Jelena clapped for her husband from the stands before giving him a big kiss to mark his win.
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