The school sweetheart cheering on Novak after his 'miracle' recovery: Jelena Djokovic uses meditation to heal physical ailments, believes science is 'reductive' and works with a controversial 'trauma therapist'
- Jelena Djokovic, 38, describes herself on Instagram as an 'apprentice of life'
- READ MORE: Tunisian Ons Jabeur - who opts for modest clothing on the court - says she is ready to win Wimbledon, a year after making Princess of Wales cry
Jelena Djokovic will no doubt be back in the stands today as her husband plays at Wimbledon's centre court, hoping to claim the title for an eighth time.
The Serbian model and businesswoman, 38, is the tennis ace's teenage sweetheart and is almost always in the stands for her husband's nail-biting matches.
Her husband's expertise on the court has seen him claim seven career Grand Slams at Wimbledon, meaning he is one of tennis' greatest-ever grass court players.
Despite his expertise, Novak is not exempt from his wife's opinions, and Jelena is often fearless when voicing her thoughts on her husband's performance.
But, aside from the odd on-court domestic row, with the pair recently engaging in a mid-match argument during the 2024 French Open, she tends to keep her cool no matter how high the stakes.
Novak Djokovic's wife, Jelena, is a 38-year-old model and businesswoman (the pair are pictured together)
Though there is extra stress on the couple this year, after Novak withdrew from the French Open following his fourth-round victory over Francisco Cerundolo due to an injury that could also hamper his ability to perform at Wimbledon.
Djokovic only underwent surgery on his right knee in Paris in June, after he tore his medial meniscus.
The 37-year-old wants to avenge his previous men's final defeat against tennis prodigy Carlos Alcarez who earned a stunning first Wimbledon title in four sets last year.
It is a challenge that Jelena's knowledge on mindfulness will no doubt be of use for, with the 38-year-old having an intense focus on meditation; something in which she deeply believes.
The mother-of-two has previously credited the art of meditation with easing her stress and anxiety.
While many people in the western world have discovered the Indian art of meditation in recent years and will likely relate to Jelena's love of the practice, they might be slightly less in-tune with some of her other beliefs - including that the Covid-19 pandemic was caused by 5G masts.
She has also previously written about the importance of serving her 'purpose' in life so you can serve the 'greater good'; and in recent months she has teamed up to host events and run projects with controversial therapist Gabor Mate.
Jelena, who was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, moved away from her native country at the age of 18 to study abroad; first in Italy and then in Monaco.
When she's not rooting for her husband in the stands, Jelena is working towards humanitarian pursuits
The mother-of-two is fearless when it comes to expressing her thoughts on her husband's performance (seen in 2023)
The pair have been together since they met in high school (seen on the red carpet ahead of the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards gala in Madrid on April, 2024)
She met Novak at high school and the pair have been together ever since. In the early days of their relationship, Jelena juggled studying and modelling, starring in several high profile campaigns.
They married in 2014 in the grounds of Montenegro's exclusive Aman Sveti Stefan resort while Jelena was pregnant with their first child, Stefan.
Jelena helps to run the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which raises money for childhood education and inclusive early education programmes for children disadvantaged communities.
However, while she dedicates much of her time to philanthropy and is seen to represent worthy causes, some of Jelena's whacky beliefs have previously landed her in hot water with fans.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, she was slapped with a 'false information' notice on Instagram after she shared a video which suggested the cause of the pandemic had been associated with 5G masts.
Jelena posted a 10-minute video of US-based Dr Thomas Cowan, which falsely explained that 5G played a role in creating the coronavirus pandemic.
She was heavily criticised for spreading 'fake news' given her platform to reach almost half a million people through Instagram.
Jelena and her tennis sensation husband share two children together - called Stefan and Tara
Jelena, a staunch supporter of her husband and high school sweetheart Novak, has shared some unusual views about life and philosophy in the past
Instagram made the decision to step in through what they call 'independent fact checkers' and the video is now covered by a 'False Information' screen whenever anyone visits her profile.
She later clarified her position in a statement, insisting that she has taken an interest in the field, rather than explicitly endorsed the theory at this point as she is 'not claiming to be true or not'.
'I shared the video a few days ago for one reason only – it mentions the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, which is relevant to my area of interest and business, and hence my interest in this video was larger than the sea of other content I get,' the statement, shared by EssentiallySports, read.
'Specifically, Steiner schools and kindergartens are located in 76 countries (Waldorf schools) and for some time I have been meeting with their work and studying the curriculum. Steiner's philosophy and work on biodynamic agriculture have encouraged me to learn more, which I have devoted myself to in recent months.
'So, it makes sense to me, I'm not claiming to be true or not, but I'm certainly interested in learning and getting informed about it.'
The clarifying statement appears to follow previous writings about learning that Jelena has shared on her blog - which doesn't appear to have been updated for several years.
In the 'about me' section of her blog, she wrote: 'I would like to be remembered as a curious soul who loves life and lifelong learning. The roles I take on in this life are helping me grow in so many ways.'
She added that she believed her children, Stefan and Tara, had been her biggest teachers in life.
The model, philanthropist and entrepreneur hails the power of meditation in achieving mindfulness and finding 'purpose' in life
In recent months, Jelena has partnered with Canadian-Hungarian 'trauma expert' and therapist Gabor Maté through the Novak Djokovic Foundation
'They have reconnected me with my true self, helped me unveil my soul, and showed me how to lead a more meaningful life,' she said.
She also wrote in another post: 'The beauty of being a seeker of knowledge is that you can take any path you’d like. There is no right or wrong, there is just a process of learning and shaping and growing. It can take you anywhere.'
Among her entrepreneurial projects include a magazine, Original, which appears to now be defunct but published several issues in 2017.
Speaking about Original on her blog, Jelena said she intended for the publication to be 'a platform that unites like-minded people who seek knowledge, inspiration and want to go through life and business by following values of honesty, integrity, respect, and love'.
One of the cover stars of the magazine during its print run was Elisabeth Moss, an actor best known for The Handmaid's Tale, and a member of the controversial church of Scientology.
Recently, Jelena's work has seen her partner with controversial therapist Gabor Maté, whose views were put under the microscope in 2022 when he conducted an interview with Prince Harry.
The Canadian-Hungarian psychologist, who says he is a trauma expert, has 20 years' experience working with people suffering from addiction and mental illness, with other specialisms such as stress and child development.
However, his work in using the psychedelic drug ayahuasca to treat mentally ill patients once saw him scolded by the Canadian government, as it remains illegal in Canada, as well as the US and the UK.
The psychedelic plant, which is taken as a brewed drink, causes people to experience hallucinations and other side effects, including vomiting.
Ayahuasca has traditionally been used by shamans and traditional healers but is now popular among Western tourists.
As Jelena hails the power of meditation in learning how to heal the mind and soul, she described the practice as a 'game changer' in her life.
Jelena was given a 'false information' label by Instagram last year after sharing a conspiracy theory that 5G has helped cause coronavirus
Jelena has been heavily criticised for spreading 'fake news' given her platform to reach almost half a million people through Instagram
The mother-of-two, and childhood sweetheart of Novak, often shares snaps of the couple exploring nature (pictured) with her Instagram followers
Jelena's blog features posts about how she learned to mediate in Ecuador, links to controversial vegan documentary Cowspiracy and shares tips on 'how to find your true self' (pictured with Novak)
She even believes that meditation may have the power to rid the body of 'disease' by reaching 'harmony' within the self.
'When you are in this state of harmony, there is no room for disease,' she wrote.
She also cited a quote from the authors of Relaxation Revolution, by Dr Herbert Benson and William Proctor, that declared science 'reductive'.
The quote from the book reads: 'It is no overstatement to say that virtually every single health problem and disease can be improved with a mind-body approach.'
Away from her controversial views, Jelena is full of praise for her 'champion' husband and dedicated a blog post to his tennis success in the past.
Gushing over her husband's character, she said: 'Novak does not allow anyone to put limits on his capabilities because he doesn’t want to be constrained. He believes in constant growth and improvement and he doesn’t let it come to him by chance.
'He is the one chasing it. When he reaches one peak, he looks for another one to climb. He listens and respects other people’s opinions, but he is never defined by them.'
Novak Djokovic drinks 'pyramid water' from Bosnia, believes in telekinesis to purify food and his physios mix him a 'magic potion': Inside the tennis icon's weird ways after his 'miracle' recovery to play at Wimbledon
By NATHAN SALT
Given his remarkable feats to this point the amount of surprise when Novak Djokovic showed himself rigorously working out on his surgically repaired knee came as a shock.
For Djokovic is the embodiment of warrior in a sport where few can say they match his sheer determination and durability, playing through adversity unless he cannot walk out.
Twenty six days on from surgery, Djokovic is walking out on Centre Court today to kick-start his latest road to glory at Wimbledon, a place he has won seven times before.
'The knee has responded very well to all of that so far, which, of course then, is a great sign for my participation in Wimbledon. That's why I decided to be in the draw,' Djokovic, the second seed, told reporters on Saturday.
'I'm confident about the health of my knee and just general physical state is really good.'
Novak Djokovic has managed to prove his fitness in time to appear on Centre Court today
Having had surgery on his knee less than a month ago, Djokovic has defied all expectations
He has a number of quirky beliefs, including drinking water from a pyramid in Bosnia
He also has a super-clean diet and believes in the powers of positive affirmations to his food
The real question on everybody's lips was, how has he pulled the rabbit out of the hat this time?
On June 3, 2024, Djokovic took on Francisco Serundolo in the last-16 of the French Open, and although after four hours and 39 minutes of an epic battle in what was his longest match at the Paris Slam, he managed to win.
But he suffered a serious injury, a disaster for Djokovic and the tournament. His knee was damaged and despite his hatred for surgery, he knew it was the only option.
A day later he announced he was withdrawing from the tournament and on June 5 he went under the knife to fix the meniscus of his right knee, putting his place at Wimbledon under real threat.
'Yeah, what people need to understand is not all knee surgeries are the same at all,' USA star Taylor Fritz said recently at Eastbourne.
'I saw some stuff with people talking about all the issues Federer had with his knee surgeries and how he's not coming back in a couple of weeks.
'I'm like, :Yeah, because it's different.' This is probably, in terms of surgeries you have to get and then try to come back as quick as possible, one of the best ones you can get because it's not a meniscus repair.
'When you tear your meniscus. You don't actually need your full meniscus to just be fine. Like you can just get the part that you tear snipped out and it's more of a discomfort thing.
'That's why he tore his but he was still able to play because wherever his tore wouldn't have been blocking anything up . When I tore mine I actually couldn't walk because it was blocking something but the actual procedure of removing it, it's all the same and all the recovery really entails is just the swelling of the actual incision, it's just recovering from that.
Djokovic underwent a rigorous rehab in order to be ready to fight for an eighth Wimbledon
He claims his knee has responded well to his rehab, along with his daily meditation sessions
'Strength-wise you have full strength immediately, it's just about recovering from the actual surgery itself, not any muscular things. So I'm not surprised I believe he got in to do his surgery before I did – I think he has more recovery time than I had.
'I know for a fact my first match at Wimbledon was exactly 20 days after my surgery so I played a little less than three weeks after my surgery. So he's going to have a whole extra week than I did. So it's definitely not surprising at all that he's able to like lightly hit up the middle right now.'
Unorthodox is the word that befits Djokovic and his various beliefs, from pyramid water to a temple that keeps him calm, or the Bosnian mountain he abides by.
Marginal gains is what Djokovic is all about and this latest rehabilitation will have been littered with quirky ways to return to fitness.
Previously he has shown that he places trust in the healing power of trampolines, the use of meditation to fight off injury, the belief that you can make dirty water clean again with nothing but the strength of your emotions. The list goes on and on.
There was the time Djokovic set an alarm on his phone so he would know – to the exact minute – when a year had passed since he last ate a piece of chocolate.
Or the time he listened over and over and over to The Beatles and a Serbian rock band called Električni Orgazam to perfect the rhythm of his famed return motion.
Djokovic's online chats with Chevrin Jafarieh (bottom) became notorious in the pandemic
He has been seen working out alongside British star Emma Raducanu (left) during this week
Or there is the faith he places in the healing power of 'pyramid water'.
In a piece on the official Wimbledon website they detail the 'benefits of pyramid water'.
'Novak really appreciates the water from the pyramids. He can see it brings him benefits,' Sam Osmanagic, who announced to the world in 2005 that he had discovered the pyramids, said.
'When Novak comes here, he always gets supplies of the water.'
Djokovic swears by it and he has not been quiet about his pilgrimages to the small city of Visoko in Bosnia, in order to 'charge up on the cosmic energy being emitted by the local ancient pyramids'.
'There is truly a miraculous energy here,' Djokovic said in 2018. 'If there is a paradise on Earth, then it's here.'
Traditional medicine and routine practices of rehab do not appeal to Djokovic; his psyche and mindset has long been on a different level.
Food is a key area for him. Specifically, the 'positive energy' that food can distribute.
Yoga and meditation has become a key part of Djokovic's routine in a bid to remain on top
Djokovic (pictured with his son, Stefan) is a Christian and part of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Much is expected of Djokovic with the draw opening up for him to win an eighth singles title
In his book 'Serve to Win: The 14-Day Gluten-free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence', the Serbian superstar incredibly detailed how he believes that conversation is influential on the food we eat.
In Djokovic's mind, negative conversation could well be harmful to the food, stripping it of its nutrients as well as its taste.
During his rehabilitation now, as her has done for many years, Djokovic is positive in affirming his beliefs to his food before he eats. Wild, but it works for him.
Djokovic explains: 'I believe that if you are eating with some kind of fear or worry or anger, the taste of the food and the energy you get from it won't be as powerful… What you give is what you get.'
He is also obsessive when it comes to chewing, an action that must be focused on entirely.
'As I chew, the process of digestion is already starting,' he wrote.
'The enzymes in my saliva mix with the food, so that when it hits my stomach it's a fully formed piece of 'information.'
More often than not Djokovic is happy to expand on his beliefs, on food, on special water, on not getting vaccinated against Covid, and that was why his 'magic potion' spotted at previous iterations of Wimbledon became so intriguing.
His bizarre Wimbledon drink habit became an even bigger story when he refused to reveal what was in the bottle, claiming it is 'magic potion'.
'Magic potion, that is all I can say,' he said, when pressed.
Jelena Djokovic was given a 'false information' label by Instagram last year after sharing a conspiracy theory that 5G has helped cause coronavirus
His wife Jelena, who boasts quirky views of her own, even took a swipe at her husband's critics when it came to the 'potion' in question.
'This whole nonsense about making people speak about something they aren't ready because others are inpatient is absurd,' she said.
'Sit a bit in silence. Mind yourself more. Not everything you see is controversial. It could be private. Is that allowed?'
Normally in these weeks Djokovic is frequenting a nearby Buddhist temple.
The Buddhapadipa Temple, on a leafy suburban street just minutes from the All England Club grounds, has been frequented by the reigning champion in previous years.
Djokovic, an Orthodox Christian, once stayed next door to the temple and spent up to an hour a day using its four-acre grounds for meditation and to improve his focus.
'Many years ago he came to stay next door to the temple and every morning he meditated at the temple,' Venerable Piyobhaso, minster of religion at Buddhapdipa, tells Mail Sport.
'He preferred to come in the morning, from 30 minutes up to an hour. Sometimes he spent an hour beside the lake. He became friends with some members.
'Novak is a very friendly person. He always smiled and didn't mind having photos with the temple members. He said that meditation helps with his tennis.'
Whatever Djokovic eats, drinks, prays to, believes in works; it works for him anyway. Because 26 days after going under the knife he is here, at Wimbledon, full of belief an eighth men's singles title is within his grasp.
If ever there was a reminder this was it: never underestimate Novak Djokovic.
