‘My philosophy is progression or regression’
Novak Djokovic says he can be too self-critical in striving to improve, writes Simon Briggs During a snooze on the beach on a family holiday, the energy came rushing back
The Zen warrior of tennis, Novak Djokovic says he will be looking for a state of perfect flow – mindlessness in the best sense – when he begins his defence of his Wimbledon title on Monday afternoon.
It can be tempting to scoff at Djokovic’s new-agey world view – and plenty of people did exactly that when his nirvana began to turn sour in the summer of 2016. His friend Pepe Imaz, a Spanish guru who preaches the value of meditation and long hugs, was blamed by many for diverting him from the winner’s path, like some tennis version of Yoko Ono.
But Djokovic regathered himself a year ago. Having undergone the first operation of his career in February, he felt a sense of self-betrayal that lingered throughout much of the spring. Then, during a snooze on the beach in the middle of a family holiday, the energy came rushing back – and turned his fortunes around so dramatically that he won the last two majors of the season.
In Australia in January, he followed up with a flawless display in the trophy match, leaving Rafael Nadal almost speechless as he cruised past him in just 2hr 4min: 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. After 27 major finals, this remains the only time Nadal has not won a set.
“Under the circumstances, it was probably the best tennis match I have ever played,” said Djokovic last week, during an exhibition appearance at the Boodles event in rural Buckinghamshire.
“In grand slam finals for sure. Against Nadal. He was in form – he didn’t drop a set until the final. It was an amazing match. It did feel at certain stages where everything happens so automatically that you don’t want to try anything. There is no effort – it just flows.
“That is really when you can express your best self. We are all trying to be in that state of mind, body and soul I guess. It is not easy. It can change rapidly, I guess you
just have to believe in yourself and work hard and eventually it is going to come to you.” Djokovic enters Wimbledon 2019 as the bookmakers’ clear favourite. Yet this is a man who struggled to keep his footing when he first played this event in 2005, losing to Sebastien Grosjean in the third round. Such was his dedication to conquering all surfaces that he had three different sets of orthotic supports designed the following year: one for hard courts, one for clay, and one for grass.
Within two years, he had reached the semi-final here. And then came the transformational triumph of 2011, when he achieved the primary goal that had driven him since boyhood.
On overcoming Nadal for the first time in a major final (the tally in trophy matches now stands at four wins apiece), he celebrated by plucking a piece of the Centre Court lawn and munching it.
Here was a throwback to Djokovic’s seven-year-old self. As Chris Bowers wrote in his biography The Sporting Statesman, “He fashioned a trophy-like vessel out of a cheap plastic vase and, speaking English for one of the first times in his life, raised the vase above his head with the words, ‘Hello, I’m Novak Djokovic, I’m Wimbledon champion’.”
As he realises now, Djokovic planted the message deep in his own heart, and his peerless combination of speed, flexibility and dexterity did the rest.
“In the first part of my career I was struggling [on grass] because I was not a natural volleyer,” Djokovic said this week. “But I improved. Boris Becker [who coached him between 2013 and 2016, when he won the title twice] helped a lot there. Now it feels right.
“My game throughout my career has been based on my movement and really trying to get a lot of balls back,” he said.
“My defence is great, but I try, especially on grass, to be more aggressive, to take the ball early, to serve and volley, and naturally because it’s a quick surface it just requires you to be more aggressive, to mix it up, to slice a bit more, because I don’t get to use slice that much. “You chip returns and stuff like this, but I like it.” If Djokovic lives up to most people’s predictions by adding a fifth Wimbledon crown on July 14, he will draw level with Bjorn Borg in third place on the all-time list, with only Pete Sampras and Roger Federer still to catch.
Not bad for a man who used to be caricatured as a mechanical baseliner with limited touch and feel.
Djokovic clearly enjoys the atmosphere of this leafy corner of south-west London. On previous visits, he has been a regular visitor to the Buddhapadipa Temple – a Buddhist retreat situated just a few minutes from the All England Club. So can he rediscover that serene state of mind that lifted him to a career-best level in Melbourne?
“You can always strive to get better,” Djokovic said. “I don’t believe in stagnation. It’s either progression or regression. It’s a philosophy of life, so I always try to see things where I can improve. At times I am probably taking it too far and being too critical of myself. But I believe it got me to where I am.”
And what of the long-awaited return of Andy Murray, one of his oldest tennis rivals, to the match court?
“It’s so great to see him back,” said Djokovic, “smiling and enjoying and playing well and being healthy.
“We share a special relationship since we were 11, we’ve always respected each other and had some great battles.
“It’s what I told him in Australia and also after, when we texted each other a couple of times: ‘I just hope we can see you back on the court, as do all of the other players’. Andy has a great reputation on the tour for sure.”