"I really miss my children... That's hurting me more & more" - Novak Djokovic makes honest admission about the rigorous demands of professional tennis

Novak Djokovic has told Nick Kyrgios that although he still feels motivated to pursue more glory in tennis, it is getting increasingly difficult for him to spend time away from his children. Djokovic's confession came during an interview he gave to Kyrgios earlier this year at the Australian Open.

The interview has now been released as a standalone episode of the "Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios" podcast, which is backed by Hana Kuma, Naomi Osaka's media production venture.

Djokovic married his long-time girlfriend Jelena Ristic in July 2014. Months later, the couple was blessed with a boy, Stefan. In 2017, the couple welcomed their daughter Tara to the world.

During his interview with Kyrgios, the Serb said that within him, there is still a hunger for success that dates back to his younger years. However, he also admitted to having a more "mature" side now, which reminds him that he needs to prioritize his family.

"The little Novak, the four-year-old Novak, who started playing tennis in Kopaonik in Serbia, is still inside and still in love with the sport and is still so hungry for more. Right? But at the same time, there's probably this more mature Novak, father and a husband, that is, 'Come on, man. There are other things in life as well'," Djokovic told Kyrgios (15:13).

The ATP World No. 1 proceeded to tell Kyrgios how he was missing his children as he was giving the interview. The Serb's son Stefan and daughter Tara could not make it to the Australian Open and stayed in Europe. Djokovic also admitted that living apart from his children is increasingly becoming more hurtful for him.

"I really miss my children as we speak now. They are back in Europe, and I haven't seen them for weeks. If I do well here, I will not see them for another two, three weeks, who knows? And that's hurting me more and more, leaving them," Djokovic added.

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"Playing with my children is my favorite part of the day" - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals

Novak Djokovic, in another interview during this year's Australian Open, said that his "favorite" way of spending time with his children is to play with them. It marked another recent instance where the Serb admitted to missing his children.

"Dads should play with their children all the time. I mean that’s like my favorite part of the day just when I have their attention and when they have my attention and we are fully present, we play and we invent stuff. It’s the best. I’m getting emotional right now, I miss them, I’ll see them in a few days," Djokovic told Karl Stefanovic on The Today Show (04:20).

On the tennis front, Djokovic's last outing ended in a shock 2-6, 3-6 loss to Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the ongoing Italian Open. His next outing is set to be at the French Open, where he is the defending champion.