Djokovic: They are not happy about not having a phone
A bit funnily, the Paris Olympics gold medalist revealed that Stefan and Tara complain that they are the only kids in school without a phone. While the Serb understands that he might be too strict in that area, he highlights that he and his wife Jelena believe they are doing the right thing.
“They complain that everyone at their school has a phone except them. It is not easy, and this is reflected on other levels. If everyone is doing something, the herd works like this, you have to follow. Well, it doesn’t have to be like that. This is where I think we differ from others, because we are stubborn in both a positive and a negative way,” Djokovic said.
Over the weekend, the 37-year-old was a guest on a Serbian television where he touched on different topics. And one of the things about which the record 24-time Grand Slam champion opened up was both of his kids going to school now and his perspective on education.
Son Stefan – who turns 10 next month – is currently in fifth grade, while seven-year-old Tara has just started school. Addressing that, Djokovic described himself as an “old-school” parent who is a big believer in the importance of education and also revealed some of his ways of hoping his kids develop in the best way possible.
“I learned from Jelena Gencic (his childhood coach who passed away in 2013) why it is important to listen to classical music, to read books, today’s generation has many more challenges, there were no social networks then, they just look at their phones. We don’t look at it from a different perspective now, we live in a digital age now, technological development is incredible, my children still don’t have phones, my wife and I are struggling.,” the Serbian tennis superstar said during his appearance on Vece sa Ivanom Ivanovicem.
Although Djokovic has traveled all around the world and has resources to provide his kids with education wherever he wants, he didn’t want Stefan and Tara to attend any schools outside Serbia. Currently, his kids attend a private school in Belgrade and there is a big reason why a local school was picked.
“I lived abroad for many years, of course mostly for work. For the last few years I have been here with my family, with my children. I want to be here, for my children to go to school in Serbia, for them to feel what Serbia means, since it is also their country, even though they were not born here. I constantly talk to them about it,” the Serb explained.
Djokovic was also asked to explain what kind of school his kids were attending.
“They chose a school where classes don’t last 45 minutes, parents are actively involved in education, and children are encouraged to be creative,” the seven-time Wimbledon champion shared.
It is not easy for Djokovic to be away from his family
Earlier this year, the 37-year-old admitted that as he was getting older, it was tougher for him to be away from his family or go to longer trips such as Australia.
“I do struggle with that more and more as the time goes on. Australia is a long trip, probably the longest one that we have in the entire year. My son is nine and my daughter is six. Every day, every week they change. My daughter’s first tooth went out and I wasn’t there for that. At the same time, it’s all about balance,” he said in Australia.
In the last couple of years, Djokovic has reduced his schedule and he is mostly focused on Grand Slams and certain Masters events.
“Being separated from the family hurts me more and more. That’s the part that I struggle with more now. So, yeah, I try to balance things out with working with my schedule in such way and calendar that is suitable to me. I think I earned my right to choose what kind of tournaments I want to play. Of course, Grand Slams being the biggest ones, the pillars, the priority on the schedule list,” the Serb said.
So far this year, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion has only appeared in 10 tournaments and he also played two Davis Cup matches this weekend.
While Djokovic didn’t manage to win any Slams this year, he was at least able to win his first Olympic medal and complete his resume.
