It was “game, set, match” for Novak Djokovic and Jelena Ristic when they met as high schoolers in the ’90s.
The pair bonded over a shared interest in tennis – of course – and became friends.
However, they didn’t start dating until a few years later, in the early 2000s, and had their first date at a sports bar in Monte Carlo where the Serbian athlete was playing tennis.
“Us getting together was like science fiction almost,” Jelena told Hello! of their romance, which was initially long-distance.
“I was a student barely getting by, and he was a very young tennis player who also had no money to spare on expensive trips.
“Airplanes were, at the time, something utterly out of our reach. We contrived and devised these plans; how to meet, how to make our relationship work.”
