Tennis

My secret approach to becoming a tennis champion – Djokovic

by
Teresa Mwangi
July 5, 2023

Novak Djokovic. Photo/Eurosport

Novak Djokovic has opened up on the mental strength he employs
This has helped him overcome many challenges involved with the sport
Djokovic remarks that athletes are increasingly focusing more on mental wellness now

As Wimbledon 2023 takes shape, Novak Djokovic has opened up on the mental strength he employs to pull through tennis matches throughout the year.

This has helped him overcome many challenges involved with the sport and accounts for a huge part of his on-court success. The 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed this during an interview with ASICS at Wimbledon hosted by Alex Corretja who is a former world No.2

WHAT DOES NOVAK DJOKOVIC THINK ABOUT MENTAL WELLNESS?

Djokovic remarks that athletes are increasingly focusing more on mental wellness now more than ever and he leads this pack. He explains that being strong mentally is the only thing that matters because a player is on the court alone as much as there are always fans on the stand cheering.

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 French Open. Photo/Eurosport

Decision-making whenever you are playing is cardinal but it also takes so great deal of preparation before a match begins. He calls this a short and long-term approach that secures his victory in the end.

“You see that to win in the end, you must have both a long-term and short-term approach. I think that before you even go onto the court, half of the mental preparation you need to accomplish is already done. It will be much more difficult to excel on the court if you don’t prepare, so do your homework,” he said during the interview.

On top of keeping his mental and emotional state stable, he ensures that his physical condition is also at its peak. Another approach he takes is understanding how his body responds now at 35 because it is different from how it was responding a decade ago.

He is not as emotional as he was years ago and he notes that he no longer responds to insignificant things. His emotions don’t get a chance to ruin a match or get into his head when handling a formidable opponent. This, he says, is the ultimate show of mental strength every tennis player should possess.

WHAT MAKES DJOKOVIC A CHAMPION?

Over and above guarding his mental strength jealously as a tennis player, Djokovic adds that his diet and family support are part of his success matrix. The Serbian tennis player went vegan in 2018. He said that this meal plan helped him to improve his energy levels and overall health. Besides, he no longer has health complications as he had in the past before choosing this diet.

At one point in his career, Djokovic struggled with respiratory problems. To better his health, he had a nose operation. His doctor advised him to alter his diet, which he says was really beneficial. It is then that he made a decision to eat entirely plant-based foods.

The first thing Djokovic does in the morning is to drink a glass of warm water with lemon to help him de-stress and reset his day. He then gobbles down celery juice on an empty stomach. Shortly after a short break, he takes a green smoothie, which is often made from a lot of fruits and vegetables.

HOW DOES NOVAK DJOKOVIC HANDLE GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENTS?

Novak Djokovic eating a banana. Photo/Tennis.com

Djokovic is undoubtedly a celebrated tennis player but it is never easy for his wife, Jelena Djokovic whenever he is playing a Grand Slam tournament. He says the pressure of adding more slams into his basket always gets to Jelena, his team and his parents. These are the people he closely relates with.

The recent French Open tournament saw him win his 23^rd Grand Slam and became the modern-day-era tennis player with the most grand slams.

It is this victory that he recently opened up about citing that it looks easy while it is not because there is much that happens away from the public eye.

His coach Goran Ivanisevic insists that Djokovic becomes a nightmare to deal with when things don’t work his way. The Serbian admits as much adding that it is always a torturous affair when playing any Grand Slam tournament.

He acknowledged that Grand Slams make him feel extremely tired and a “handful,” and that his wife Jelena, his parents, and his coaching staff are aware. Djokovic promised to capture it all in a book that he is currently working on for people to understand the cost of his success.

Teresa Mwangi

Teresa is a journalist with years of experience in creating web content. She is a wanderlust at heart, but an outgoing sports writer with focus on tennis, athletics, football, motorsports and NBA.

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