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World number one Novak Djokovic told his family that he was quitting tennis after suffering a bad loss, his wife revealed.
The Serbian is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, but he talked about leaving the sport to his wife Jelena last year after suffering a loss at the Miami Open in the fourth round against Roberto Bautista Agut in March.
Speaking in the last episode of In depth with Graham BesingerThe couple spoke about the impact Novak can have as a top athlete on their married life.
Jelena raised the lid on last year’s troubled moment when the loss in Miami coincided with another disappointing loss for the 17-time Grand Slam champion against Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round at Indian Wells.
“He told me he was quitting and that’s the truth,” said Jelena.
“He lost in Miami. It was a terrible loss. And then he, you know, brought us all together and said, ‘You know, guys, I’m done.’ And I said, ‘What?’ And he says “Yes”.
He said, ‘Edoardo, you can speak to my sponsors. I want to be clear with them. I don’t know if I’m going to stop for six months, a year or forever. “
In the interview conducted just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of all tennis, Djokovic also spoke about the challenge his continued success in the sport has had in his married life, and the sacrifices that Jelena inevitably had to do to support him.
Over a two-year period, Djokovic won 158 games, including six majors, one of the most dominant winning streaks in tennis history. But it came to an end and he realized that his happiness had depended on his success on the court.
“I really feel like my relationship got deeper, more meaningful, more intrinsic. And I realized, actually, up until that point, that (my) relationship with some of the closest people in my life was quite shallow and superficial, because I just don’t “I don’t know how to handle that,” Djokovic told Bensinger.
“And that, uh, she, inevitably she has to endure the same journey as me at the same time, otherwise we can’t stay together. And, uh, and, and I’m really grateful and happy that, uh, she he embarked on the same journey, his own journey, but parallel at the same time as, as I did. “
