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Novak Djokovic’s Wife Jelena Gets Smitten by Husband’s Hooping Skills After Meeting LeBron James in Los Angeles

Published 03/18/2024, 2:35 PM EDT

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via Reuters

Novak Djokovic’s fresh loss to Luca Nardi at Indian Wells is definitely a shock but it can’t keep the Serb’s spirit down. Apart from possibly being one of the greatest tennis players the world has witnessed, Novak Djokovic is an ardent basketball fan too. He is constantly spotted playing the sport or posing with basketball pros.

While he certainly enjoys playing and being involved with basketball, how good of a player Djokovic is is something we can’t be too sure of. Although, it is clear that high school sweetheart and wife Jelena Djokovic is smitten by her husband’s basketball skills.

Novak Djokovic’s “not too bad” basketball skills!

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Djokovic had recently posted a video on his Instagram handle captioned, “Not too bad ha?” where he can be seen shooting at the hoop and securing a basket. Wasting no time in hyping her husband, Jelena commented, “Oh boy, I’ve seen this before,” along with heart eye emojis. Jelena hinted toward numerous videos floating online of the Djoker playing basketball and shooting hoops.

 

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A post shared by Novak Djokovic (@djokernole)

The Serbinator had recently attended the match between Golden State Warriors and LA Lakers where he took pictures with Steph Curry and LeBron James. Djokovic presented James and Curry with autographed tennis rackets, showcasing a gesture of appreciation and camaraderie across sports. Reciprocating the gesture, Curry offered Djokovic his signed jersey, displaying mutual respect and admiration.

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This is not the first time Djokovic and Jelena mixed up with basketball. They met with another Serb, Nikola Jokic, who is touted to be the MVP in 2024. Both clicked a picture with the Denver Nuggets star which Jelena later uploaded on her Instagram page with the caption, “Of all the DJOKE(r)S… these two are the best  #madeinserbia,” matching her husband’s penchant for humor.

Having tied the knot in July 2014, Jelena has been the staunchest and most vocal supporter of Nole. She is often seen supporting and hyping him, be it courtside or online, but the road to getting here was not easy.

Novak Djokovic and Jelena Djokovic were in a long-distance relationship

Djokovic and Jelena had been together for several years before they got married. Having met in high school while playing tennis, they were together for 8 years before getting engaged in 2013 in Monte Carlo. Jelena and Djokovic were together even before he was famous but since Jelena also had her career to focus on, she had to move to Milan for her studies.

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via Getty

Talking to Hello! she told how despite the long distance and their busy schedules, the pair found a way to make their romance work. “Us getting together was like science fiction almost,” She says. “I was a student barely getting by, and he was a very young tennis player who also had no money to spare on expensive trips.”

“Airplanes were, at the time, something utterly out of our reach,” she adds. “We contrived and devised these plans how to meet, how to make our relationship work.”

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Not just Nole alone. Together as a couple too, Jelena and Novak’s story and how it continues to unfold in front of fans is truly the stuff of legends. Djokovic will be back in action during the clay season with his Jelena by his side.

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Written by:

Anubhav Bhandari

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Anubhav Bhandari is a Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Anubhav skillfully arranges words to craft intriguing lines and weaves diverse sentences into compelling stories. Blending his sporting experience with storytelling prowess, he produces articles that resonate with readers.
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Edited by:

Arunima Bhanot