“My son is my biggest fan. He understands and loves tennis. He often asks me questions, especially after I lose a match. He once hugged me and said, ‘Things will be better’,” Novak Djokovic once said when speaking about his son, Stefan. The now 11-year-old boy has been taking tennis lessons and started playing on the court just like his father, who picked up a racquet at the age of four. Nole always talks about how much Stefan enjoys being part of the sport, and he loves encouraging him. But when it comes to guiding them, the question is: how far would he go?

During his chat with Piers Morgan last week, Novak opened up about his thoughts on coaching Stefan if he chooses tennis as a career path. He said, “Look, I want to be his father; I don’t want to be his coach. If this is the journey that he chooses to have, I’m going to be one million percent behind him, supporting him every step of the way.” A bit surprising, right? Having a 24-time Grand Slam champion as a coach would sound incredible. But there’s truth in Nole’s words. And Patrick Mouratoglou agrees.

The former coach of Serena Williams reacted to Novak Djokovic’s comments on Piers Morgan Uncensored on his Instagram. He said, “I think tennis is a great school of life. So, for his son to play tennis, it’s great. To try to become a professional, I wouldn’t advise it. But if I was Novak, I would probably say the same: if it’s what he wants, I will support it 100%. I think it’s great. The mission of the parents is to support the kids, show them how much you believe in them.” Makes sense, right?

However, Mouratoglou pointed out a downside. “When you want to be the coach, most of the time you do that extra step for you, you want to be part of it. I think it’s very dangerous. Sometimes it works; there are great examples of parents who have succeeded when the parent is the coach.” Is he right? Given that Mouratoglou has spent over 20 years in the sport, he’s seen every side: The highs and the lows.

He’s also coached one of the greatest examples of successful parenting in tennis: Serena Williams. Mouratoglou guided the 23-time Grand Slam champion for ten years, but long before that, as many know, Serena and Venus were coached by their father, King Richard. Other examples on the circuit show a trickier balance between parent and coach, like Stefanos Tsitsipas and his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas. The two have split a few times, with Stefanos once admitting he wants his father to just be his father. They recently reunited after his short stint with Goran Ivanisevic ended after only two months in July 2025.

Mouratoglou summed it up well: “There is no distance, no emotional distance, so they are living the thing with the same negativity, and it can destroy the relationship.” His words echo Djokovic’s sentiment perfectly. For now, Novak’s son still has a long way to go before stepping into the professional circuit, but Nole has admitted that Stefan shows a growing interest in joining him on tour one day.

Will Novak Djokovic’s son be travelling with him?

One thing is clear: the tennis bug has bitten the next Djokovic generation. In early October, the Serb revealed that his son Stefan is eager to tag along for tournaments. “My son, he plays tennis more and so he follows what’s going on. He was really insisting on travelling with me to China. He wants to travel with me everywhere, but he has to do school, and it’s not that simple. But he’s really in love with tennis and the sport,” the 38-year-old said.

Throughout 2025, Novak Djokovic’s family has been a familiar sight in his player box, especially at the majors. At the Australian Open, Jelena and the kids caught attention when a team member briefly covered the TV camera to protect their privacy during a late-night thriller. At Wimbledon, Stefan and Tara stole hearts, with Tara showing off her dad’s ‘pump it up’ dance on Centre Court as Novak laughed about their little family ritual.

The cute family scenes continued at the US Open. Jelena, Stefan, and Tara cheered alongside Novak’s parents and close-knit team as he chased a record 25th major title. He added, “Yeah, my kids and my wife are, you know, my biggest supporters, and obviously when they are in the stadium you’ve seen them how they support, how passionately they care about and play with me every single point. So, of course, me seeing them on the stands, you know, it’s even more inspirational. I love to have them. But at the same time, you know, the kids cannot live daddy’s life, they have to live their own life.”

Right now, Novak Djokovic closed his year with a title run at the Hellenic Championship, earning career trophy number 101. Now comes some family downtime before the grind begins again. The 38-year-old will return at the 2026 Australian Open, eyes locked on that elusive 25th Grand Slam. Will this finally be the one?