Novak wants to strike the right balance

NOVAK Djokovic wants it known he is fired up for another Wimbledon campaign, but the three-time champion is also seeking inner tranquility that he does not expect to come from results on the court.

A year to the day since he was beaten in the third round by Sam Querrey at the All England Club, Djokovic was holding court again yesterday and with an increasingly firm grasp on the direction he sees his life taking.

His demeanour against Querrey 12 months ago led to an inquisition that focused on whether his life away from tennis was a happy one.

And Djokovic has since made no secret of his search for personal contentment. The 30-year-old Serbian has in the past been a visitor to a Buddhist centre close to the All England Club.

After losing his grip on all four of the grand slams he briefly held at the same time, Djokovic is fighting to re-establish himself at the top of men’s tennis, but not at the expense of his well-being.

“When things are completely going your way, in this case in my professional tennis career, you’re happy,” he said.

“You feel like everything is kind of revolving around tennis. But it’s not like that. Some other things were suffering during that time.

“So it’s always figuring out what’s the right balance and right formula to be completely in peace and satisfied with yourself, and everything you do.

“I used to base all my happiness on winning a tennis match. So I try not to do that any more. Of course, I would love to win every single tennis match I play in, but I don’t try to take that as a very essential moment in my life, which determines my happiness.

“It’s a different approach but I’m still here and I’m still motivated. I’m still glad to experience whatever my professional tennis career has for me.”

Djokovic must wait until tomorrow to get his campaign under way, against Slovakian Martin Klizan. French Open champion Rafael Nadal starts his bid for a third Wimbledon title against Australian John Millman today, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios also in action.