Novak Djokovic is opening up about his life on and off the court in his new Prime Video documentary, “Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter,” which premieres on August 20. However, director Jason Hehir believes the real star of the documentary is Novak’s wife, Jelena, whom he praised as the ultimate anchor for the 24-time Grand Slam champion while sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the Serb’s Paris Olympics gold medal victory.
Director Jason Hehir Names Jelena Djokovic the Real Star of Novak’s New Documentary
During his recent appearance on the podcast “Served With Andy Roddick,” Hehir, who has also directed the famous documentary about NBA great Michael Jordan, “The Last Dance,” opened up about what it was like to film the tennis legend and his family. For Hehir, observing Jelena navigate the pressure of global fame right alongside her husband made her the “star of the documentary.”
“There’s no one who loves that guy more on the planet than she does. And she’s his fiercest protector,” Hehir revealed to Roddick. “She protects him more fiercely than he protects himself. And it’s beautiful to see. Their relationship is aspirational in my observation of them. They’re great together.”
Hehir also shared a telling anecdote about the couple’s dynamic following Novak’s emotional gold medal victory at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
While his coach assumed the historic win signaled the end of his career, stating, “I think this is it. Like there’s nothing more to be done. This is over,” Jelena knew better. She simply smiled and replied, “We’ll see,” and at 39, he is still not ready to hang up his boots.
Novak and Jelena met in high school and began dating in 2005 before getting engaged in 2013. They married in Montenegro in 2014, just days after Novak won his second Wimbledon title, and have two children, 11-year-old Stefan and 8-year-old Tara.
On the tennis front, Djokovic, in the later stages of his career, made the surprising decision to play the Cincinnati Open this year, after focusing mainly on Grand Slam events in recent years.
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However, his return to the ATP Masters 1000 event ended in the second round, where 25-year-old Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante defeated him 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a two-hour, 44-minute battle. Playing his first match since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals, Djokovic appeared to struggle physically as the match went on.
Next up, Djokovic will be back for the US Open, where the four-time champion will be looking to chase his historic 25th Grand Slam singles title.
