Listen to Novak Djokovic’s opponents clarify why he’s as profitable as he’s — why he’ll start his pursuit of a fifth consecutive and eighth general Wimbledon championship on Monday; why he additionally will likely be making an attempt to assert an Open era-record twenty fourth Grand Slam trophy over the approaching fortnight on the All England Club’s grass courts — and so they’ll provide loads of solutions.
His best-in-the-game return of serve. His harmful two-handed backhand. His elasticity. His stamina. His defence. His capability to learn another person’s intentions, get to the place a ball is headed and ship it again with pressure, a mix Casper Ruud described this fashion after shedding to Djokovic within the French Open remaining: “He sort of just goes into this mode where he just becomes, like, a wall.”
Listen to Novak Djokovic clarify why he is carried out what he is carried out and why, at age 36, he is nonetheless doing it, and he’ll provide a purpose far much less tangible and much much less observable, one thing he talked about throughout his victory speech at Roland Garros a number of weeks in the past.
“I try to visualize every single thing in my life and not only believe it, but really feel it with every cell in my body. And I just want to send a message out there to every young person: Be in the present moment; forget about what happened in the past; the future is something that is just going to happen,” Djokovic stated. “But if you want a better future, you create it. Take the means in your hands. Believe it. Create it.” Speaking that day about his personal hopes and goals as a 7-year-old child, Djokovic famous two main objectives: attending to No. 1 and profitable Wimbledon.
He’s already been No. 1 for extra weeks than any man or girl within the half-century of computerized rankings. Now he’ll attempt to pull even with Roger Federer by incomes title No. 8 on the oldest of the 4 Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Djokovic is one forward of the injured Rafael Nadal — and three forward of the retired Federer — for essentially the most singles majors gained by a person, with 23.
“Those two guys,” stated Djokovic, who faces Pedro Cachin of Argentina at Centre Court on Monday, “were occupying my mind for the last 15 years quite a lot.”
His 23 is similar quantity Serena Williams ended her profession with final season; solely Margaret Court, who gained 24 throughout each the newbie {and professional} eras, has extra.
“Grand Slams are the goal. I don’t know how many, but I think he has in his body a lot more,” stated Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic. “It’s fascinating to see, as a result of generally you assume, OK, now you may have 23.’ But he’ll discover, once more, some type of motivation to win 24, perhaps 25. Who is aware of the place is the top?”
Entering the 2011 season, the so-called Big Three’s Slam standings looked like this: Federer with 16, Nadal with nine, Djokovic with one.
After winning his initial major title at the 2008 Australian Open, Djokovic went through an 11-major span where four of the losses came against Federer or Nadal in a semifinal or final.
His self-confidence waned a bit.
“That’s where I was really doubting myself, whether I could do it or not, because you get far but then you fall on the last hurdle,” Djokovic said. “The more times you kind of fall, the more you question everything, you know what I mean?”
And yet, with the same tenacity he uses on a court — “The mental fortitude he has is unbelievable,” was how his first-round opponent in Paris, Aleksandar Kovacevic, put it — Djokovic dug in away from the court and found ways to improve. And still does that, which is part of why most consider him, and not No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz, the favourite as Djokovic continues to pursue the first calendar-year Grand Slam by a man since Rod Laver in 1969.
“The thing that you have to admire about him is that he’s been very clear on what it is that he wants to achieve — trying to get that Grand Slam record. When he put himself in a position to do that, he delivered,” said Andy Murray, who won two of his three major titles at Wimbledon. “He didn’t look like he was getting nervous or overthinking it or any of those things. Yeah, he went and did it. It shows the strength of character that he’s got.”
So where did this belief come from?
Djokovic points to several factors: his upbringing during a time of war and embargo in Serbia in the 1990s; his parents (“95-plus% of people … were laughing at them, and were discouraging them to spend whatever is left over from the family budget into such an expensive sport,” he said); his first coach and “tennis mother,” Jelena Gencic; and a later coach and “tennis father,” Niki Pilic.
All helped him grow as an athlete and person.
When he was 7 or 8, Djokovic said, Gencic would show him video of the best male and female tennis players. She also taught him “the importance of relaxing and listening to classical music, reading poetry, singing, and reading, breathing consciously and so forth.” His mother, he said, “is a rock,” and his father “instilled in me such power of belief and positive thinking.” That, as much as any particular shot or talent, is why, Djokovic says, “On a daily basis, I’m the best on the court.” It’s why he has won 11 of the past 20 Grand Slam tournaments.
And it’s why he wants to keep going.
“I don’t feel more relaxed, to be honest. I still feel hungry for success, for more Grand Slams, more achievements in tennis. As long as there’s that drive, I know that I’m able to compete at the highest level,” Djokovic said. “A few days after Roland Garros, I was already thinking about preparation for grass and what needs to be done.”