Novak Djokovic laughs in the face of jet lag. For more than two decades, the world\u2019s most successful male tennis player has traveled the world to compete, collecting 24 Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal along the way. During that time, he\u2019s perfected his form when it comes to smashing travel fatigue as well as tennis balls.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many little things you can do to avoid jet lag,\u201d the 38-year-old Serbian tells Travel + Leisure. \u201cOn the plane, I over-hydrate, adding lemon, mint, and salt to my water if I can. When I arrive at the hotel, I ground myself with bare feet on natural ground as soon as possible, followed by a hot bath with Epsom salts. Then on the first morning, I try to watch the sunrise, to reset my brain.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Djokovic is now far from the dawn of his career, but he still has daylight left to chase down an elusive 25th Grand Slam. It\u2019s a title that would break his tie with the legendary Margaret Court-Smith to become the single greatest tennis player of all time.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
With Novak Djokovic<\/p>\n
Aisle or window seat? <\/p>\n
Window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Go-to plane snack? <\/p>\n
Salted sorghum popcorn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Past or current player you\u2019d choose to sit next to on a long-haul flight? <\/p>\n
Can I have two? It would be Pete Sampras and Monica Seles. They were my idols growing up, and I still look up to them both. I\u2019d sit in the middle seat between them on the longest flight possible and enjoy that time so much.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dream travel destination still on your list? <\/p>\n
It would have to be Antarctica; I love the idea of traveling to the edge of the world. Either there or Bhutan because I\u2019ve always wanted to visit the Tiger\u2019s Nest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Item you cannot travel without? <\/p>\n
My pillow. I have a longer neck, and for years, hotel pillows were just killing me. So now I carry my own Tempur-Pedic pillow with me everywhere.<\/p>\n
What is your travel pet peeve? <\/p>\n
Hotel rooms where you can\u2019t open the window. I can\u2019t stand that. I need fresh air. It doesn\u2019t matter how hot or cold it is; I need to open that window.<\/p>\n
Weirdest item in your carry-on? <\/p>\n
Ha! Quite a lot of unusual stuff, actually. How about my vagus nerve stimulator? That\u2019s quite weird.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On that career-long quest, Djokovic has stayed in countless hotels around the world and now knows exactly what he does\u2014and doesn\u2019t\u2014like when it comes to accommodation.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cA great view and a great mattress are two of the most important aspects of a great hotel room,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m also a big fan of less cables and healthier minibars.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
His favorite international hotel group, he says, is Aman<\/a>. Back in the summer of 2014, he married his wife Jelena at the sumptuous Aman Sveti Stefan in Montenegro, and that love affair with the brand has only grown, with Djokovic naming Thailand\u2019s Amanpuri as his favorite hotel in the world today.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Now the seven-time Wimbledon champion has taken that relationship to a deeper level, launching his own Aman wellness retreat. Over a curated three-day program, guests will get to experience Djokovic\u2019s personal fitness regime\u2014from dynamic strength training and breathwork to professional nutrition and recovery, with a healthy chunk of tennis tuition.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe retreat is an opportunity for me to share some of the best tips and advice I\u2019ve received during my career,\u201d he explains. \u201cThese are the fitness routines and wellness practices I\u2019ve followed for years, and continue to follow to stay in shape and compete today.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Novak Djokovic on the tennis court, and in the banya sauna, at Amanpuri.<\/p>\n Aman<\/p>\n Many athletes retire with a fistful of ideas so up in the air they need parachutes. But Djokovic has his feet firmly on the ground, with plenty of post-tennis plans already in play. Aside from the new Aman retreats, there\u2019s the successful hydration range called SILA (Serbian for \u201cforce\u201d) as well as the intriguing Regenesis Pod\u2013a space-age recovery capsule promising to rejuvenate body and mind thanks to a combination of light therapy, sound frequency, and pulsed electromagnetic fields.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Despite these new business ventures, Djokovic has no plans to retire from tennis in the immediate future, with one eye firmly on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. But when he does finally zip up his racket bag for good, one of the first things on his to-do list is a big family vacation.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a serious history lover, and one of my favorite things to do on family holidays is visit local museums and archaeological sites with my two children,\u201d he says. \u201cI haven\u2019t been to Africa yet, and I\u2019d love to take them to Egypt to see the pyramids. It\u2019ll be there or a big trip to South America to see ancient Mayan and Incan sites. When it comes to travel, I feel I still haven\u2019t visited many of the places that will leave the biggest impressions on me.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n One place that has left a big impression on the tennis star is Montenegro: the scene of many happy childhood vacations, and a country he still returns to regularly.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cI love Montenegro so much; it\u2019s truly one of the most stunning places in the world,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cYou\u2019ve got Boka Bay, with these titanic mountains thrusting out of the sea, like Hawaii. Then there\u2019s other insanely magical spots like Durmitor National Park. Also, Black Lake\u2014seriously, Black Lake is the most beautiful lake I\u2019ve ever seen in my entire life.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n