Novak Djokovic explained his regained strength after his victory in New York – and why he is now happy to be playing in an era with Federer and Nadal.
He managed to turn his career 180 degrees: In the spring, questions arose as to whether Novak Djokovic would once again play at the top, especially after his direct exit in Indian Wells against the rather unknown Taro Daniels.
And of course, they keep asking questions about the feeling of new strength and success – and a comparison with the Novak Djokovic from the 2014 and 2015 seasons – but, as so often, the Djoker has a completely different approach to looking at himself. “My way of thinking is not to compete with myself in another year, because my life is completely different than it was then. So many things have happened: I am a father of two, was injured outside for six months, had an operation…”, he pondered at the closing press conference in New York.
If he had been told in February after his operation that he would win Wimbledon and the US Open and Cincinnati, it would have been hard to believe. “On the other hand, another part of me has always imagined it.” He learned a lot about himself throughout the process: to be patient, for example, “which was never one of my strong points. Life has shown him that it takes time, that good things happen, that they happen and that you find your inner centre again. But he doesn’t want to compare his level in concrete terms “because I think I’m on a whole new level – that’s my approach”.
The decisive moment for the career shoot seems to have happened in Paris. Despite good tennis in the first rounds, Djokovic had lost here in the quarter-finals against the strong Italian Marco Cecchinato. “I felt that I was so close to the level I wanted – and then I didn’t play the match well.”
Afterwards he had to switch off urgently. “So I spent five days hiking in the French mountains with my wife. “We isolated ourselves from everything and looked at things from a different perspective.” They sat there and practically inhaled the new inspiration and motivation – since then everything has been different. “In terms of results, I played the final in Queen’s and won Wimbledon, Cincinnati and the US Open. I think I’ll go hiking again soon,” he joked.
Specifically, he had travelled on Mount Victoire (Montagne Sainte-Victoire, a mountain in southern France, editor’s note), an area that had also been an inspiration for many Renaissance painters. “I strongly advise climbing up there. Great things will happen in your life,” he advised a inquiring journalist.
With his victory in Flushing Meadows, Djokovic has also caught up with Pete Sampras, who also has 14 major wins – only Rafael Nadal (17) and Roger Federer (20) are still ahead of him.
Here, too, Djokovic takes a different approach than ten years ago. “I guess I wouldn’t have been so happy to be playing in an era with Federer and Nadal. Today already: “I feel that these guys, the rivalry and matches with them, has made me a better player – the player I am today.” They have driven each other, “and for me playing against Federer or Nadal has always been the ultimate challenge.
At the beginning of his career, he mostly lost the big matches against Federer and Nadal at Grand Slam tournaments and had to find out how he could improve to challenge them and win when it really mattered. This was one of the most important things in his life, his tennis career and his development. “I owe it to them.”