Novak Djokovic is on a roll- not just a streaky patch of achievement, but an endless landscape of golden rolling hills running into the horizon. And the scary thing for his opponents is that he's showing no signs of slowing down. Coming off arguably one of the best male tennis seasons of the Open Era in 2015, the sensational Serb has been following a personal blueprint of success by doing everything a modern professional elite athlete ought to do, but just a bit better, and just a bit more obsessively than most anyone else is willing to do. There are three holy ingredients to Djokovic's reign atop the tennis kingdom: serenity, sacrafice and stamina.
Djokovic recently won a record 5th Indian Wells title in 2016, by dismantling a resurgent Milos Raonic in the final. And his continued success is as much a reflection of his on-court abilities in full tilt and stretch as it is a product of his off-court attitude and pursuits. Watch Djokovic on court and you will witness a man that still displays that fire and passion from his younger days before he became the world number 1, but it's a fire that's always tempered by a calm and confident disposition. For all the media mud slinging that's thrown the Serb's way over the months and years, he's grown not immune to criticism and verbal attacks, but more mature to handle them with deflection and grace. And this likely comes from a deeper well of inner peace and happiness that fuels his tennis career and way of living. Novak Djokovic is a man that deeply cares about people and has family and friends that deeply care about him. Marriage to highschool sweetheart, Jelena Djokovic provided a source of great love and happiness from which to draw from when facing fierce competition on court, and having a son, Stefan, has only heightened his sense of gratitude and hunger for achieving more in his life in tennis. He often attributes much of his career success to having found a sense of balance in his personal life, and to being surrounded by a devoted team that urge him on to greater heights and focus.
Lesser men would let all the negative press deter them from achieving the heights that Novak Djokovic has, but because he possesses a foundation of happiness and an entourage of family and friends that he loves and is loved by so deeply, he's able to channel all that inner serenity into scintillating success. Not to mention Djokovic's alter ego, the Djoker, whostill compliments the more serious side; a man who still loves to laugh, makes jokes and smiles at the mundane aspects of life.
If you were to look up the word 'sacrafice' in the dictionary, you ought to see a picture of Djokovic. He embodies and epitomizes the word like no other athlete. All sportsmen make sacrafices to make a living at playing sport, but few will go the lengths the Belgrade native will to achieve the highest ranks of his domain. Djokovic doesn't just compartmentalize
sacrafice to tennis, but lives it in all spheres of his life. His level of professionalism, of intensive training, of rigid dietary regimen, and ascetic self-denial to all things indulgent that could pull him away from his game, are almost inhuman--a tall order to emulate, but one that should be admired to no end. If ever there was a manual to elite sports stardom, Djokovic should write it. In some ways he's offered an appetizer in the way of his guidebook, Serve to Win. His utter devotion to be the best at his craft is mind-altering. He looks for any small edge he can hone through training, diet, mental conditioning, yoga, and understanding his opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Djokovic forgoes chocolate and sweets as though a minute portion of the wrong food could diminish his level of play by 5%, enough to possibly alter the outcome of a match. Djokovic has endured his 40 days of fasting in the desert and then some. Any young aspiring tennis child wanting to achieve greatness have no better role model than Novak Djokovic to look up to. And it's not purely the tennis acumen to model, but the attitude to living life wholistically--to making time for family and friends. To living in the present moment as much as possible.
The last intangible quality that underscores Novak Djokovic's success at tennis domination is stamina. Much has been made Djokovic's athletic abilities and talents: his returning serve, his hitting backhand passing shots, his defending prowess, his court awareness, his mental confidence, his laser like focus, but there have been many matches that Djokovic has found
worthy equals in the skill department, but few can outlast Djokovic in a battle of nerves, will and physical stamina. The longer a match wears on, the longer a player's patterns and tendencies are probed and prodded, the more likey Djokovic is to unlock the secrets to victory through chess like patience and anticipation, as well as having legs that stand strong and don't stumble in the latter stages of match weariness. Yes, Djokovic, much like the spiritual balance he's discovered in his personal life, his balance and center of gravity while stretching in kung-fu like style in the 4th or 5th set of Grand Slam quarter-finals, semi-finals, or finals is uncanny. Stamina is part diet and lifestyle and likey a result of genes too,
something impossible to copy, but if ever there was a blueprint to success for elite achievement in sport, assuming the physical skills are present, than look no further than Djokovic's holy trinity of S's: serenity, sacrafice and stamina.
Djokovic's attitude to life and tennis is a rare marvel, and one that more and more people ought to congratulate and celebrate. Today's modern athlete would benefit from watching Djokovic play, but also how he talks, listens and conducts himself; he's a role model for many and that's something uncommon in a world of sportsmen that have little to offer beyond their ability to dazzle a crowd with their skills. Djokovic has a wealth of qualities in the personality department that young people ought to appreciate. He's not just an image or stereotype-he's a model of character and authenticity.
Djokovic recently won a record 5th Indian Wells title in 2016, by dismantling a resurgent Milos Raonic in the final. And his continued success is as much a reflection of his on-court abilities in full tilt and stretch as it is a product of his off-court attitude and pursuits. Watch Djokovic on court and you will witness a man that still displays that fire and passion from his younger days before he became the world number 1, but it's a fire that's always tempered by a calm and confident disposition. For all the media mud slinging that's thrown the Serb's way over the months and years, he's grown not immune to criticism and verbal attacks, but more mature to handle them with deflection and grace. And this likely comes from a deeper well of inner peace and happiness that fuels his tennis career and way of living. Novak Djokovic is a man that deeply cares about people and has family and friends that deeply care about him. Marriage to highschool sweetheart, Jelena Djokovic provided a source of great love and happiness from which to draw from when facing fierce competition on court, and having a son, Stefan, has only heightened his sense of gratitude and hunger for achieving more in his life in tennis. He often attributes much of his career success to having found a sense of balance in his personal life, and to being surrounded by a devoted team that urge him on to greater heights and focus.
Lesser men would let all the negative press deter them from achieving the heights that Novak Djokovic has, but because he possesses a foundation of happiness and an entourage of family and friends that he loves and is loved by so deeply, he's able to channel all that inner serenity into scintillating success. Not to mention Djokovic's alter ego, the Djoker, whostill compliments the more serious side; a man who still loves to laugh, makes jokes and smiles at the mundane aspects of life.
If you were to look up the word 'sacrafice' in the dictionary, you ought to see a picture of Djokovic. He embodies and epitomizes the word like no other athlete. All sportsmen make sacrafices to make a living at playing sport, but few will go the lengths the Belgrade native will to achieve the highest ranks of his domain. Djokovic doesn't just compartmentalize
sacrafice to tennis, but lives it in all spheres of his life. His level of professionalism, of intensive training, of rigid dietary regimen, and ascetic self-denial to all things indulgent that could pull him away from his game, are almost inhuman--a tall order to emulate, but one that should be admired to no end. If ever there was a manual to elite sports stardom, Djokovic should write it. In some ways he's offered an appetizer in the way of his guidebook, Serve to Win. His utter devotion to be the best at his craft is mind-altering. He looks for any small edge he can hone through training, diet, mental conditioning, yoga, and understanding his opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Djokovic forgoes chocolate and sweets as though a minute portion of the wrong food could diminish his level of play by 5%, enough to possibly alter the outcome of a match. Djokovic has endured his 40 days of fasting in the desert and then some. Any young aspiring tennis child wanting to achieve greatness have no better role model than Novak Djokovic to look up to. And it's not purely the tennis acumen to model, but the attitude to living life wholistically--to making time for family and friends. To living in the present moment as much as possible.
The last intangible quality that underscores Novak Djokovic's success at tennis domination is stamina. Much has been made Djokovic's athletic abilities and talents: his returning serve, his hitting backhand passing shots, his defending prowess, his court awareness, his mental confidence, his laser like focus, but there have been many matches that Djokovic has found
worthy equals in the skill department, but few can outlast Djokovic in a battle of nerves, will and physical stamina. The longer a match wears on, the longer a player's patterns and tendencies are probed and prodded, the more likey Djokovic is to unlock the secrets to victory through chess like patience and anticipation, as well as having legs that stand strong and don't stumble in the latter stages of match weariness. Yes, Djokovic, much like the spiritual balance he's discovered in his personal life, his balance and center of gravity while stretching in kung-fu like style in the 4th or 5th set of Grand Slam quarter-finals, semi-finals, or finals is uncanny. Stamina is part diet and lifestyle and likey a result of genes too,
something impossible to copy, but if ever there was a blueprint to success for elite achievement in sport, assuming the physical skills are present, than look no further than Djokovic's holy trinity of S's: serenity, sacrafice and stamina.
Djokovic's attitude to life and tennis is a rare marvel, and one that more and more people ought to congratulate and celebrate. Today's modern athlete would benefit from watching Djokovic play, but also how he talks, listens and conducts himself; he's a role model for many and that's something uncommon in a world of sportsmen that have little to offer beyond their ability to dazzle a crowd with their skills. Djokovic has a wealth of qualities in the personality department that young people ought to appreciate. He's not just an image or stereotype-he's a model of character and authenticity.