Dear Novak,
I am a long time admirer of your natural talent for tennis and a huge fan of Novak Djokovic the man. I appreciate all the humanitarian work you do and the way you care for others.
But as a devoted supporter who has agonized through the crushing defeats and celebrated the joyous victories, I am writing to remind you of something you already know but perhaps have lost sight of in the months following Roland Garros.
When I observe you play your fiercest most inspired tennis, when you are locked in that zone of hyper-alertness, you are at heart, a warrior! When you are at your best, defending and attacking with laser-sharp focus--you are a Spartan! Never forget that--you are a Spartan, a fighter! You have the will to overcome, the drive to persevere!
I commend you for your spirited approach to live a balanced life and cherish your wide heart that bleeds for your fellow man, but please remember when you step onto that court--that arena, abandon the role of friend, 'nice guy', or sympathizer. Rid yourself of the belief that life is bigger than tennis. When you've played your most memorable matches, blood, sweat and tears, against your most ardent rivals like Nadal, Federer and Murray, your life was tennis--you embodied tennis! For these brief hours of intense court conflict, nothing else mattered but working that much harder and being that iota more hungry to outlast your opponent. You seized the day, the moment, or those series of moments more decisively than the man across the net. You are a Spartan!
Never forget you are a fighter at your core. Yes, you are a lover, a lover of family, friends, of life. You value honour, kindness, sacrafice and good health. You are perhaps the most disciplined eater and trainer setting the gold standard for match preparation, but when you walk on the tennis court, shed the skin of philosopher, new age guru, eschew the cloak of tennis ambassador. Embrace the heart of the warrior again! Embody the spirit of the fighter, without apologies. The moment you realize what you truly are, the moment you remember where you came from, how hard you've worked, the moment you recall your greatest victories and defeats against your toughest foes, you will win Slams again.
This next calendar year will be essential to your growing legacy. You are already a legend, an all-time great, but you may be yet more (the greatest?) if you selfishly want it as bad as you did to win 4 Slams in a row in 2015-2016, or 4 of 5 Slams in 2011-12. It's difficult when your two greatest rivals, Nadal and Federer are fading in the twilight of their careers. They always motivated you to reach sublime heights.
As a huge fan, I promised myself I would be satisfied if you could complete a Career Slam by winning the French, but I was wrong. I want more. I badly want you to win more. And you're 29! Not young for tennis, but with your dedication to training and healthy living, I'm convinced you can strike the right work-personal life balance; you have a few years yet to cement your legacy. Make it a goal to surpass Nadal and Sampras. One step at a time!
Some say that wanting something only pushes it away--makes it more unattainable. A kind of zen- mindfulness approach to not caring about the result or winning will increase your chances at success. I don't believe that! From all the years watching, you play your best when you care passionately about winning--your eyes always tell the story. Your eyes were that much hungrier to win. Embrace the desire to be the best. Selfishly want it! Own it! You are a Spartan Novak! And a spartan fights to the bitter end.
You will retire one day and there will be time to reflect about life's priorities. But now you must make it tennis! Unapologetically, unabashedly, aggressively. We all believe in you! More Slam success awaits the Serbian warrior. Invoke the beast. Be the warrior. Be the Spartan you are! Idemo!
Sincerely,
A big Nole fan
I am a long time admirer of your natural talent for tennis and a huge fan of Novak Djokovic the man. I appreciate all the humanitarian work you do and the way you care for others.
But as a devoted supporter who has agonized through the crushing defeats and celebrated the joyous victories, I am writing to remind you of something you already know but perhaps have lost sight of in the months following Roland Garros.
When I observe you play your fiercest most inspired tennis, when you are locked in that zone of hyper-alertness, you are at heart, a warrior! When you are at your best, defending and attacking with laser-sharp focus--you are a Spartan! Never forget that--you are a Spartan, a fighter! You have the will to overcome, the drive to persevere!
I commend you for your spirited approach to live a balanced life and cherish your wide heart that bleeds for your fellow man, but please remember when you step onto that court--that arena, abandon the role of friend, 'nice guy', or sympathizer. Rid yourself of the belief that life is bigger than tennis. When you've played your most memorable matches, blood, sweat and tears, against your most ardent rivals like Nadal, Federer and Murray, your life was tennis--you embodied tennis! For these brief hours of intense court conflict, nothing else mattered but working that much harder and being that iota more hungry to outlast your opponent. You seized the day, the moment, or those series of moments more decisively than the man across the net. You are a Spartan!
Never forget you are a fighter at your core. Yes, you are a lover, a lover of family, friends, of life. You value honour, kindness, sacrafice and good health. You are perhaps the most disciplined eater and trainer setting the gold standard for match preparation, but when you walk on the tennis court, shed the skin of philosopher, new age guru, eschew the cloak of tennis ambassador. Embrace the heart of the warrior again! Embody the spirit of the fighter, without apologies. The moment you realize what you truly are, the moment you remember where you came from, how hard you've worked, the moment you recall your greatest victories and defeats against your toughest foes, you will win Slams again.
This next calendar year will be essential to your growing legacy. You are already a legend, an all-time great, but you may be yet more (the greatest?) if you selfishly want it as bad as you did to win 4 Slams in a row in 2015-2016, or 4 of 5 Slams in 2011-12. It's difficult when your two greatest rivals, Nadal and Federer are fading in the twilight of their careers. They always motivated you to reach sublime heights.
As a huge fan, I promised myself I would be satisfied if you could complete a Career Slam by winning the French, but I was wrong. I want more. I badly want you to win more. And you're 29! Not young for tennis, but with your dedication to training and healthy living, I'm convinced you can strike the right work-personal life balance; you have a few years yet to cement your legacy. Make it a goal to surpass Nadal and Sampras. One step at a time!
Some say that wanting something only pushes it away--makes it more unattainable. A kind of zen- mindfulness approach to not caring about the result or winning will increase your chances at success. I don't believe that! From all the years watching, you play your best when you care passionately about winning--your eyes always tell the story. Your eyes were that much hungrier to win. Embrace the desire to be the best. Selfishly want it! Own it! You are a Spartan Novak! And a spartan fights to the bitter end.
You will retire one day and there will be time to reflect about life's priorities. But now you must make it tennis! Unapologetically, unabashedly, aggressively. We all believe in you! More Slam success awaits the Serbian warrior. Invoke the beast. Be the warrior. Be the Spartan you are! Idemo!
Sincerely,
A big Nole fan