Novak Djokovic is lauded for his dazzling tennis game and acute mental resilience on the court, and holds the record for the most weeks spent as world No 1 – 428 of them from 2011 to 2023.
“It doesn’t happen by accident,” the 24-time grand slam champion told the Post.
The 38-year-old Serbian spent much of the first two weeks of July on Centre Court at Wimbledon in London, seeing off rivals including Italy’s Flavio Cobolli and Australian Alex de Minaur, before finally being knocked out by the current world No 1, Jannik Sinner from Italy.While Djokovic has hinted at retirement soon, he vowed to return to the UK championship “definitely, at least one more time”. He has won Wimbledon seven times, only one short of the record eight held by Switzerland’s Roger Federer, who retired at the age of 41.
Djokovic after defeating Carlos Alcaraz during the men’s singles tennis final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Photo: AP
Beyond his fixation on marginal gains to enhance his performance, Djokovic is deeply committed to physical and mental wellness.
Some of his practices may seem unorthodox, such as drinking water found in tunnels underneath a pyramid in Bosnia for its healing mystical energy.