Novak Djokovic battled hard to beat American Nishesh Basavareddy 3-1 in sets at the Australian Open, and unlike other years, he was joined by his wife.

Novak Djokovic’s wife was present for her husband’s win (Image: Getty)

Novak Djokovic’s sorrow at not having his wife to support him at the Australian Open won’t dent his title hopes this time around. The Serbian icon failed to lift a Grand Slam title in 2024, much to his disappointment, and heads into this season with a new coach in Andy Murray.

Melbourne has always been one of the 37-year-old’s most prolific hunting grounds, as he’s won the most titles of any player in the Open era with 10. But he saw the title snatched away in 2024 by Jannik Sinner.

For the last two renewals, Djokovic’s wife, Jelena, hasn’t made the trip to Australia, which caused disappointment at the time. However, as he kicks off yet another assault on the Australian Open, Djokovic has been joyfully joined by his family.

Speaking at the 2023 Australian Open, when asked about retirement, Djokovic made it crystal clear that having his family present to support him during his Grand Slam hopes is crucial.

“I don’t know when the end is going to happen in terms of professional career,” he admitted. “Right now I have the motivation, I have the support of the close ones, which is also something that is probably underestimated and not maybe talked about a lot, but it’s a key, especially as a father.

“Being absent from the children is not something that makes me very happy. It’s a balancing act between me and my wife and the close people in my life. So her being there for our children and everything it allows me to be able to do what I love and still make some strides, significant strides, in this sport.”

Unlike other years Jelena was in the stands to watch Djokovic (Image: Getty)

Jelena and Djokovic’s two children, Stefan, 9 and Tara, 7, were also confirmed to be absent from the Serbian star’s 2024 disappointment, as his wife replied to a comment on X asking if she’d be there to cheer on her husband with a simple: “Nope.”

However, with Jelena now present and his children reportedly in the country, Djokovic stormed through a tough opening round task against wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy, who took the first set 6-4 before a swift reply from the 10-time winner.

Djokovic rattled off the next three sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 as he claimed victory in front of his wife to set up a match against young Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria in the next round.