We asked the Austrian Gebhard Gritsch about his cooperation with Novak Djokovic.
Gebhard Gritsch, 61, is an Austrian competitive sports trainer and consultant. From 2009 to 2017 he was in the team with Novak Djokovic until he renewed his team after an injury and mental depression – but without success. Since this spring Gritsch is reunited with Djokovic, the result were victories of the “Djokers” in Wimbledon and at the US Open.
tennisnet: What makes Djokovic different, better again than in spring?
Gebhard Gritsch: He has a clear head and knows what he wants. And he has found the love and motivation for tennis and competition again.
tennisnet: Was Djokovic’s crisis more due to injury or a mental hole after winning in Paris in 2016?
Gritsch: It was both, with the mental hole playing a bigger role than the injury. This was primarily the result of extreme mental stress over many years.
tennisnet: Did you understand Djokovic when he fired his team – or was he mentally in another world at the time?
Gritsch: After Paris the air was outside and the protective mechanism of his own body saved him from further overload. Of course Novak did not want this to happen with his winning mentality and tried everything to get back on the winning track as soon as possible. He saw the change in the team as an important step in this direction. The fact is that the team to Paris also had to pay tribute to the long-standing strain and the work and motivation suffered as a result.
tennisnet: Did he finally realize that the separation was a mistake, that he needs his successful team more than he thought?
Gritsch: In the difficult phase Novak was in, he could not take any risks and he needed a tried and tested system that he knew and trusted. I’m sure some of them told him to do the same.
tennisnet: What was wrong with his fitness when you worked together again?
Gritsch: Although Novak certainly worked intensively on his fitness even in the difficult times, he had some catching up to do in the tennis-specific area. That was the primary focus for the first few months.
tennisnet: What always stands out is Djokovic’s stretchability, his nickname is “Gumby”. Is this something you can learn (and then promote) – or is it inborn to some extent?
Gritsch: Every child has this flexibility in and of itself, but it gets lost with age if you don’t work on it every day. As far as I know, Novak has recognized the added value in the Pilic Academy and has maintained and improved the flexibility training.
tennisnet: What has changed about Djokovic’s attitude so that he can be successful again? What are his goals now?
Gritsch: Primarily he found his mission in tennis again with new goals and a new approach to professionalism.
tennisnet: Were there also considerations in the team to bring Boris Becker back?
Gritsch: I don’t know. Boris has certainly contributed to Novak’s success and dominance in important areas in the past with his experience.
tennisnet: Are you afraid that Djokovic could fall into a similar mental hole again?
Gritsch: I don’t think so. I have the impression that he is aware of the transience of success in top-class sport and would like to take full advantage of his good years.