"Favorite part of the day" – Novak Djokovic gets emotional talking about playing with kids Stefan and Tara, advises dads to 'play with their children'

Novak Djokovic turned emotional while recently talking about spending quality time with his nine-year-old son Stefan and six-year-old daughter Tara.

Djokovic finished his Australia trip with a 1-6, 2-6, 7-6(6), 3-6 loss to Italy's Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Australian Open 2024 on Friday, January 26, in Melbourne. This was his first loss at the tournament since 2018 and his first ever at the semifinal stage.

The Serb landed in Perth on December 28, 2023, for Serbia's United Cup 2024 campaign. He carried the national side in the tournament until falling short against Australia in the quarterfinals.

Notably, he didn't have the company of his parents, wife, or kids during his nearly month-long stay in the continental country. On the sidelines of the Australian Open, The Today Show host Karl Stefanovic asked him whether he has been coping well with being away, specifically with his kids.

"Not really, to be honest, I do struggle with that more and more as the time goes on. Australia is a long trip, probably the longest one that we have in the entire year. My son is nine, my daughter is six, every day, every week they change," he replied. (at 3:28).

Stefanovic then showed Djokovic some videos in which he could be seen pulling a prank on his kids. The Serb was overwhelmed and immediately reminded of the playful moments he usually spends with Stefan and Tara. He said:

"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." (via Nine Network)

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A brief account of Novak Djokovic's Australian Open 2024 campaign

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic entered the Australian Open 2024 main draw as the top seed and defending champion. He, however, struggled with his form and health throughout the tournament.

He started his campaign shakily against 18-year-old qualifier Dino Prizmic in the opening round. Prizmic offered stern resistance as he stretched the match to four sets but the Serb managed to cross the line. Alexei Popyrin produced a similar effort in the second round but he also ended up on the wrong side.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion fought with the cold and played promising tennis in the third and fourth rounds as he defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Adrian Mannarino in straight sets, respectfully.

The 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal, however, required a spirited effort from the Serb.