Montenegro: Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic will wed longtime girlfriend Jelena Ristic on Thursday in a civil ceremony at a posh resort on the Adriatic coast, a source close to the family said Wednesday. "The civil wedding will take place at Kraljicina (Queen's) beach," the source, who requested anonymity, told AFP.
He added that the religious ceremony would take place two days later with only family and close friends invited. Kraljicina is located close to Sveti Stefan islet, a luxury property in Montenegro bordered by forested hills where Djokovic and his guests are staying.
Local media had reported earlier this week that the 27-year-old athlete, who just won his second Wimbledon title, would tie the knot with Ristic on Wednesday.
The couple, who are expecting their first child later this year, arrived on Tuesday in Montenegro where they were welcomed by members of his family. AFP reporters at the scene said Sveti Stefan, as well as Kraljicina beach were closed off to the public to prevent possible intruders or paparazzi.
Belgrade daily Blic reported that employees at the Sveti Stefan resort have signed a written pledge not to disclose any details relating to the wedding. They are also forbidden from bringing any cameras or mobile phones to the islet, connected with the mainland by a stony strip.
Media reports said 140 people had been invited to the wedding, including Djokovic's coaches Boris Becker and Marjan Vajda, as well as tennis players Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray. The bash will reportedly cost some 500,000 euros ($680,000).
Djokovic meanwhile is said to have been paid 500,000 euros by British magazine Hello for exclusive photo rights of the affair, an amount he has pledged to donate to charity. The tennis player, who dedicated his Wimbledon title to his future wife and child, said he would "now close a tennis chapter for a while."
The rocky islet of Sveti Stefan, which lies on 12,400 square meters (133,000 square feet), is one of the most luxurious resorts on the Adriatic coast. A fortified village built in the 15th century to defend the mainland from a possible intrusion by Turkish soldiers, it became a fishermen's islet after the fall of the Ottoman empire. In post-World War II communist Yugoslavia, the villagers were moved to the mainland and the islet became an exclusive resort for celebrity guests of then Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito.
Many international film stars, among them Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Barton, Orson Welles and Kirk Douglas, frequented the resort in the 1960s and 1970s.
