- The Serbian-born model shared some controversial opinions online.
Novak Djokovic will withdraw from the French Open and lose his position as tennis’ world number one ranking, but he will remain the center of attention in the eyes of his wife Jelena as he recovers from an injury at home with his family.
The model and businesswoman was the teenage sweetheart of her tennis ace husband and can almost always be found sitting in the stands watching his thrilling matches.
And aside from the odd domestic spat on the court, such as her tense exchange yesterday during a hard-fought five-set clash with Francisco Cerndulo, she tends to keep her cool no matter how high the stakes.
Jelena, 37,’s emphasis on mindfulness may be due to her dedication to meditation, a practice she deeply believes in. The mother-of-two has previously said that meditation techniques help her relieve stress and anxiety.
Many in the Western world have discovered Indian meditation techniques in recent years and will share Jelena’s love for meditation, but may have a harder time connecting with her other beliefs, such as the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by 5G towers.
She has also previously written about the importance of fulfilling your “purpose” in life and contributing to the “greater good”, and in recent months has been working with controversial therapist Gabor Maté to host events and run projects.
Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, Jelena left her home country at the age of 18 to study abroad, first in Italy and then in Monaco.
She met Novak in high school and they’ve been together ever since. During the early days of their relationship, Jelena was juggling her studies with modeling, appearing in several high-profile campaigns.
The couple married in 2014 on the grounds of the luxury resort Aman Sveti Stefan in Montenegro, while Jelena was pregnant with their first child, Stefan.
Jelena helps run the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which raises funds for early childhood education and comprehensive early learning programs for children in underprivileged areas.
But while she dedicates a lot of her time to charity work and is seen as representing worthy causes, some of Jelena’s eccentric beliefs have drawn flak among fans before.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she received a “false information” warning on Instagram after sharing a video suggesting that the cause of the pandemic was linked to 5G towers. Jelena posted a 10-minute video of US-based Dr. Thomas Cowan, falsely claiming that 5G played a role in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She was heavily criticised for spreading “fake news” despite having the platform to reach around half a million people through Instagram.
Instagram decided to step in through so-called “independent fact-checkers” and now, when someone visits her profile, the video is covered with a “false information” screen.
She later clarified her position in a statement, claiming that at this point she is “not asserting anything to be true or false” and is simply interested in the field rather than explicitly endorsing the theory.
“The only reason I shared this video a few days ago was because it touched on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, which is relevant to my areas of interest and business, and therefore generated more interest in it than the vast amount of other content I get,” read a statement shared by EssentiallySports.
“Specifically, there are Steiner schools and kindergartens in 76 countries (Waldorf schools) and I have been exposed to their work and studied their curriculum for some time. My research into the Steiner philosophy and biodynamic agriculture sparked my desire to learn more, which is what I have been devoting the last few months to.”
“So, it seems to make sense to me. I’m not going to claim that it’s true or not, but I’m certainly interested in learning about it and getting information about it.”
The clarification appears to follow an earlier account of her learning that Jelena shared on her blog, which appears not to have been updated in several years.
In the “About” section of her blog, she writes, “I would like to be remembered as a curious person who loves life and lifelong learning. The roles I play in this life allow me to grow in many ways.”
She added that she believes her children, Stefan and Tara, have been her biggest teachers in life.
“They reconnected me with my true self, helped me uncover my soul and showed me how to live a more meaningful life,” she said.
In another post, she wrote, “The beauty of being a seeker of knowledge is that you can choose any path you want. There is no right or wrong, just a process of learning, shaping and growing. That process can take you anywhere.”
Among her entrepreneurial projects was the magazine Original, which appears to be out of print now but published a few issues in 2017.
Speaking about the original on her blog, Jelena said the publication was intended to be “a platform that connects like-minded people who seek knowledge and inspiration and who want to live their lives and business according to the values of honesty, integrity, respect and love.”
When the magazine was first released, one of its cover stars was Elisabeth Moss, the actress best known for The Handmaid’s Tale and a member of the controversial Church of Scientology.
Recently, Elena has been working with controversial therapist Gabor Maté, whose views were harshly criticized during a 2022 interview with Prince Harry.
The Canadian-Hungarian psychologist, who describes herself as an expert on trauma, has 20 years of experience working with people suffering from addiction and mental illness, in addition to specialising in areas such as stress and child development.
But his work using the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca to treat mental illnesses has drawn rebukes from the Canadian government, as it remains illegal in Canada as well as the United States and Britain.
Consumed as a brewed drink, the hallucinogenic plant causes side effects such as hallucinations and vomiting.
Ayahuasca has traditionally been used by shamans and traditional healers, but is now popular among Western tourists.
Jelena praised the power of meditation in learning how to heal the mind and soul, describing her meditation practice as a “game changer” in her life.
She even believes that meditation may have the power to rid the body of “disease” by achieving “harmony” within oneself.
“When you are in this state of harmony, there is no room for illness,” she writes.
She also quoted the authors of The Relaxation Revolution, by Dr. Herbert Benson and William Proctor, who declared that science is “reductionist.”
Here’s a quote from the book: “It is no exaggeration to say that virtually any health problem or illness can be improved with a mind-body approach.”
Apart from her own controversial opinions, Elena is a huge admirer of her “champion” husband and has even written a blog post about his tennis success in the past.
She praised her husband’s character and said, “Novak doesn’t like to be tied down, so he doesn’t let anyone limit his capabilities. He believes in constant growth and improvement and doesn’t allow it to come by chance.”
“He’s a goal-chaser. Once he reaches one peak, he looks for the next one and climbs it. He listens to and respects the opinions of others, but he’s never defined by them.”
