Djokovic Reveals How He Raises His Children

Novak Djokovic recently spoke openly about parenting and raising children on a podcast, revealing how he explained to his son Stefan the importance of boredom and time spent away from screens. The story was shared by Net.hr, citing Blic.

A Teachable Moment After an Active Morning

Djokovic described how he recently played with his ten-year-old son at his parents' estate by the lake. They played table tennis, soccer, and went kayaking, and after several very active hours, the boy came up to him and complained that he was bored.

Instead of immediately handing his child a phone or finding a new activity, Djokovic chose a different approach. He sat down with his son and explained that boredom is perfectly fine and that he doesn't have to immediately reach for a book, a screen, or anything else to break it.

"Just recently, I was playing with my son, who is 10 years old, at my parents' estate by the lake. We played table tennis, then soccer, went kayaking... We spent several very active hours. Then I turned my attention to something else, and he came up to me and complained that he was bored," Djokovic recounted.

'Look at the Sky'

The tennis star told his son that if he isn't comfortable being bored inside the house, he should go outside, grab a juice, sit down, and look at the sky. He emphasized that children must learn to be alone with their thoughts.

"I sat down with him and told him that it's perfectly fine. First of all, you had a very active morning. And second, if you're bored, it doesn't mean you have to immediately pick up a book, a screen, or anything else to break the boredom. You have to learn to be alone with your thoughts. And if you're not comfortable being bored inside the house, go outside. Grab a juice, sit down, and look at the sky," Djokovic said.

Djokovic admitted that this approach is much easier to advocate for than to apply in everyday life, but he stressed how important it is to him that his children learn to be alone with themselves and their thoughts.

"I would really love for my children to learn that it's perfectly okay to be bored. These are exactly the moments when they get the chance to be alone with their thoughts, especially with those they might have been suppressing when something else was distracting their attention," he added.

A Healthy Approach to Nutrition

In addition to screen time, the Djokovic family has a clear approach to their children's diet. Novak and Jelena strive to make their meals as high-quality and varied as possible, with a particular emphasis on grains and raw foods, while gluten is completely excluded from their diet.