The 24-time Grand Slam champion’s Prime Video documentary ‘Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter’ releases on Thursday, Aug. 20

NEED TO KNOW

• Novak Djokovic reflects on balancing his tennis career with family life and marriage to childhood sweetheart Jelena

• The tennis superstar shares how growing up in war-torn Serbia shaped his drive and maturity from a young age in his new Prime Video documentary Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter, out Aug. 20
• Djokovic opens up about how his children, son Stefan and daughter Tara, inspire him and influence his perspective on his career

While rushing to an engagement on a warm July day in New York City, Novak Djokovic is stopped by a fan for a selfie. The Serbian tennis legend, 39, happily obliges, because it’s moments like these that he cherishes.

“I never intended my legacy to be only highlight reels or achievements,” Djokovic tells PEOPLE. “I care a lot about personal human relationships.”

By the numbers — a record 428 weeks at No. 1, 24 Grand Slam singles titles and one Olympic gold medal — Djokovic has cemented himself as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Now in the twilight of his 23-year career, the star of Prime Video’s Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter documentary (out Thursday, Aug. 20) is reflecting on how he balances continued success with his lasting marriage to childhood sweetheart Jelena, 40, being a father to son Stefan, 11, and daughter Tara, 8, and persistent retirement rumors. 

Why is now the right time to give fans a glimpse into your private life?
I always wanted to present my story, and particularly to people who maybe don’t necessarily follow tennis or sports. Maybe they heard about me but don’t necessarily know me privately.

What do you hope people take away from this documentary about you?
I hope that most people will be able to connect to the universal values that are hopefully transmitted in this film, like resilience, perseverance, family, teamwork, dedication and belief in yourself when others don’t.

How did growing up in Serbia during the unrest of the 1990s affect your childhood?
Because of the war and economic crisis in the entire country, I had to mature very early and take responsibilities of an adult, even though I was far from being an adult. But I understood the mission in front of me and I never looked back. Almost everything that I have done was in service to tennis.

When you made it to the top as a professional, how did you repay your parents for what they gave to your career?
I vowed to myself that I would pay my parents back, not just in terms of money and resources, but I wanted them to feel happy and proud and safe, and that’s what they are right now for quite some time. I felt like, as a son, I succeeded in that mission.

You married Jelena in 2014. How has she supported you throughout your career?
She’s the only serious relationship I ever had. We have grown together, really. She was my high school love. Our paths crossed again abroad because she was studying in Italy, and I was training in Monte Carlo. We would see each other and then eventually started living together. She was always very supportive of my journey and tennis life. As with any other relationship, it takes sacrifice and a lot of compromise.

How have the two of you made that love last?
We try to always communicate and remind ourselves of the love and the foundation that we created together. We have our trials and tribulations like any couple, but we do try to always communicate what bothers us, and not only when something bothers us, but also when we feel love and affection.

How did having children change your perspective on your career?
I arguably had the most successful 18 months of my life after my son was born [in October 2014]. A similar thing happened after my daughter was born [in September 2017]. I owe a lot to my children. They teach me on a daily basis how to forgive, how to stay present, how to enjoy the moment, how to be playful with life. 

I was still playing a full schedule, and without the support of my wife, that would be very hard for me to do. She was my rock. She was nurturing our children and helping them overcome the absence of their father, which is something that hurts me the most, even these days. But you do your work, and you try to do the best that you can. When you come back home, you try to be as present as you possibly can.

Stefan is the age you were when you devoted your life to tennis. Is that something you’d encourage him to pursue?
I want him to have the choice to decide if he wants to play tennis or another sport or do whatever he wants to do. I primarily want him to be happy, to be healthy. I want to be his father. I don’t want to be his coach. And it’s not easy, obviously, being who I am in the tennis world. People see my son traveling around with a racket, and then there’s always a curiosity whether he’s going to be pursuing the same journey, but it’s not the same journey. It’s his journey.

Serena Williams returned to professional tennis at age 44. Can you see yourself playing until then?
It doesn’t depend only on the body. I don’t want to be missing out on different events of close family members. I’ve lived an incredibly fulfilling, successful professional life. In a sense, you have to be kind of selfish as an individual athlete to be pursuing your career, and everyone else is supportive of you. 

Serena is an inspiration. Serena is epic. I love Serena. I’ve always been a fan of what she’s doing after two children, coming back and attempting to compete at the highest level in Slams. Regardless of what she does, it’s already incredibly inspiring. We all should enjoy her presence.

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When you finally hang up your racket, what will you do with all the free time?
I’m not going to truly hang up the racket. I might stop competing at the highest professional level, but I’m going to continue playing tennis because I love tennis. I love tennis for the sake of playing—playing with my children, my brothers, my wife, whoever. I love playing tennis, the sport that has given me so much.

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