It’s a love match, says Djokovic, amid rumours of marriage rift
NOVAK DJOKOVIC and his wife Jelena are enduring widespread speculation about the state of their marriage.
John Mcenroe, the three-times Wimbledon winner and a respected pundit, even suggested the Serb’s form might have dipped because of “issues with his wife”.
But the couple have delivered a smart return to their detractors by putting a candid photograph of themselves on social media.
To mark their wedding anniversary, Djokovic posted a picture on Instagram of himself with Jelena in matching bathrobes, with the loving message: “Happy anniversary my soulmate! I am so grateful to have you in my Life and the Love that you share with me reminds me of what should be nurtured and fought for in Life.
“Thank you for being dedicated and loving mother, big support and backbone to all of us close to you. Love you with all my heart and soul.”
The response came after Mcenroe compared the rumours about problems in the marriage to the turmoil of golfer Tiger Wood’s private life and his subsequent decline.
Speaking during the BBC’S Wimbledon coverage, Mcenroe suggested Djokovic has “some off-court issues with the family” and added: “Woods had the issues with his wife and then he seemed to go completely off the rails and has never been even close to being the same player. So we’re starting to say: ‘Wait a minute, is this possible with him, Djokovic?’ ’’
Djokovic – who yesterday beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in straight sets to reach the quarter finals – brushed away Mcenroe’s comments, saying: “He has his right to say the things he wants to say. I don’t necessarily need to agree with that.”
The 12-times Grand Slam singles winner and his wife married in 2014 and Jelena is heavily pregnant with their second child – a possible reason why she has not been seen around the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).
But she has been taking a close interest in her husband’s on-court fortunes.
She hit out after the overnight delay to the start of his Monday match against Mannarino.
The two players were forced to wait all day until a decision was made late in the evening to reschedule the match for yesterday.
Jelena took a swipe at the AELTC, saying: “Hmmm. Change of plans again @Wimbledon?”
The match had been scheduled as the third match on Court One but was delayed when Rafael Nadal’s defeat to Gilles Müller ran to almost five hours.
Wimbledon was widely criticised for not moving the match to Centre Court, which has a roof and floodlights, allowing play to continue as late as 11pm.
Djokovic himself said after his win: “I just think it was a wrong decision not to play us last night, because we could have played. I just didn’t see any logic in not playing us on the Centre Court.”
The club said: “Moving the match would have created a significant safety issue.”