Novak Djokovic is back in Montenegro, speaking to "Vijesti" for the first time.
The best and most successful tennis player of all time, winner of a record 24 Grand Slam titles, a global sports icon, spoke to our newspaper about various topics, and also touched on his ties with Montenegro, which he says are extensive and special.
Nole also explained why the tennis and sports passion that still smolders within him, even at the age of 38, places him among the best, making him a candidate for winning the biggest tournaments.
He has won 99 trophies in his career so far, there is no doubt that he will reach 100, the only question is when and where.
Djokovic also reveals who among the younger tennis players he believes has the charisma to succeed him, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, not only in terms of sporting achievements. He also talked about the cocktail of emotions he goes through while playing a tennis match, emphasizing that it continues to help him develop as a person...
He has recovered from the muscle injury that forced him to retire from his recent Australian Open semi-final against Zverev and is ready to attack his 100th trophy in Doha next week.
He also pointed out that at this stage of his career he is looking for a balance - between enjoying and playing and relieving himself of everything he has won and achieved, but also the innate need and mentality to conquer and win again.
For starters - Montenegro.
- I have spent a lot of time in Montenegro in the last four years, mainly in the summer or spring period, when it warms up a bit on the coast, solely because I have the opportunity to somehow combine a vacation and start preparing. Tennis is a sport that is played outdoors, which is forever 'chasing the sun', as we tennis players like to say, and then I need such conditions. I have them on the Montenegrin coast. I enjoyed spending that time, I will be happy to return this year during that period - says Novak Djokovic.
The connections, of course, are much deeper.
- My connection with Montenegro extends to several branches. Of course, my roots are from here, my grandfather, my great-grandfather, from Čevo they went down to Jasenovo Polje, Nikšić, and then went to Kosovska Mitrovica, then to Belgrade. I am very proud of my roots, I try to keep in touch with the wider Djokovic family, I was at a gathering in Jasenovo Polje a few years ago. Then the wedding at Sveti Stefan in 2014 - those are the most beautiful memories for me, not only from Montenegro but in my life in general. Well, we named two children after Montenegro - Stefan after Sveti Stefan, Tara after the Tara River. There are many beautiful connections. I spent my entire childhood here, mostly because we have a family and family connection with Montenegro, but also because the Montenegrin sea is the closest and most beautiful sea for all of us who came from Serbia. "I didn't come to Montenegro for a period in my career, so I started coming back again in 2019 and 2020, and now I don't miss a single summer," says Djokovic.
It's not just the Montenegrin sea that attracts and binds him...
- I have also visited Durmitor, several times in the summer, once in the winter. I have never seen such a mountain in my life. Of course, I grew up on Kopaonik and Kopaonik has a special place in my heart, it is there that I started playing tennis, but Durmitor and Crno Jezero - I have never seen such beauty anywhere, and I have visited many mountains and countries around the world. This wild beauty that Montenegro possesses and has to offer the world is something that is truly fascinating. I don't have to talk about the potential, people feel and see it and I am really proud that my roots come from here.
A muscle injury stopped Djokovic in his quest to win his 11th Australian Open and 25th Grand Slam title last month. He says his injury situation is much better now.
- There is no more rupture in the muscle, the injury is almost 100 percent healed and I am ready to go for new work victories. I have the green light from the medical team to be able to train, to be able to prepare. The tournament in Doha is scheduled for a week now, so I am sticking to the schedule. Thank God, I managed to recover quickly. I have had a few more injuries lately than I did in the first 15 years of my career. That probably comes with age, but my body still listens to me, the flame and desire for achievement and new achievements still burns in me. That is why I hope for success, both in the next week in Doha and in the rest of the season.
The injury in Melbourne came at the right time - Djokovic himself said he played good tennis. He would have a good chance against current number one Janik Siner in the final.
- I always give myself big chances, I can't be immodest. I'm an optimist when anyone is across the net and that's something that has always adorned my career and brought me to sporting heights. That's why I say immodestly, I think that with the kind of game that I developed and achieved in the quarter-final victory against Alcaraz, I would have had a good chance against Zverev in the semi-finals, whom I should have beaten and had I been healthy, and then against Siner... But well, it's thankless to deal with those scenarios of what would have happened if it had happened, that's in the past now, I think the games and the level of tennis that I reached in Australia are promising before the season continues. Australia is special in my career as a Grand Slam - last year was a bit turbulent, I won the Olympic gold that I had been waiting for a long time and which was my main goal, I played the Wimbledon final, but I had an injury and played with a lot of oscillations. I didn't have continuity of a high level of tennis throughout the season. So this season I was looking to start at least with a satisfactory level of play and I think I achieved that. Of course, it can always be better, but the performance in Melbourne gives me an additional incentive before the continuation.
25th trophy, XNUMXth Grand Slam title, where is the best opportunity?
- I hope that the 100th trophy can come already in Doha, I've been chasing it for a long time, since October last year, but about that - it will come when it's supposed to come. Thank God, I know it will come, we'll see when and where. As for the Grand Slam, it's a bigger challenge, a more difficult undertaking, but I believe I can - if I didn't believe I could compete at that level with the best tennis players in the world, I wouldn't compete any further. I think I proved with my victory against Alcaraz at the Australian Open that I can still compete for the biggest trophies.
Djokovic also explained what stage of his career he is currently in, from a mental and psychological perspective.
- I am currently, as I would say, in the middle between my desire and need to enjoy the achievements I have achieved and approach matches and tournaments a little more relaxed on the one hand, and what I am used to on the other hand, which is that mentality of winning and thinking 'only the title is a success, the rest is not'. I have somehow gotten used to that, which is perhaps a good 'problem' to have at this stage of my life and career. For example, I was a little surprised by how many people viewed my placement in the semi-finals of the Australian Open as a success - it may sound a little stupid to say, but to me when someone says semi-finals, considering all that I have achieved in my career, although it is certainly a success, it is not what I was looking for and what I would be satisfied with. These are all the emotions and thoughts that are spinning in my head, but I still have a passion and love for sports and competition and I am grateful for the support I receive, not only from Serbia but also from Montenegro and the entire region, but also the world. These people and this support encourage me to continue traveling and competing and give me motivation for new victories.
New guys are coming, new champions, who among them has the charisma that Novak has, that Federer and Nadal had?
- We have Alcaraz and Siner who are developing a new rivalry. Nadal, Federer and I, as well as Murray who I have to include here, have really dominated men's tennis in the last 15-20 years and we have raised the standard and criteria quite high, not only in terms of results but also with all the other aspects and expectations that a champion and world number one should have, how he should represent it, how he should play that ambassadorial role of the sport, the leader of the sport. When we talk about charisma, Alcaraz stands out as someone who has stood out, not only with his games, exceptional achievements and results for such a young age, but also as someone who is very charismatic, a fair-play player and kind to everyone. And when he loses, he loses with a smile, which is really impressive for such a young man who doesn't have much experience, but who acts as if he has been on the tour for 10 years or more. I think the cause of all this is his proper upbringing, his environment, his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former number one and Grand Slam champion who passed on to him from a young age what it means to be an athlete, not only in terms of championship performance, achieving results and perseverance, but also what are the sporting values and principles that should be advocated and nurtured, passed on and serve as a guiding star for the younger generations who follow tennis and who would like to one day achieve their goals.
Many people around me wonder why I keep doing this.
"Many around me wonder why I'm still doing this when I've already achieved everything I could in tennis," Novak Djokovic told "Vijesti".
The answer is simple...
- It is mainly because of the love for tennis, for the sport. Secondly, there is also the fact that I think that through tennis I develop the most as a person, as strange as it may sound, but on the tennis court during a match I go through a million emotions - some of the most beautiful, some of the worst, and doubts, and criticism, and ecstasy, pleasure, anger, anger, everything else... And in those few hours, I sometimes even embarrass myself for what I am going through and how I behave, on the other hand, what thoughts appear to me. In any case, I am proud that I can go through it all in a humane and sporting way and lend a hand to my opponent, regardless of whether he won or lost. I think that these are the values that sport sends and that is why people identify with athletes. Especially in an individual sport, where you have to beat yourself first to beat the one across the net. These are all the life lessons I'm going through, and secondly, I really feel that through my professional tennis career I continue to inspire younger generations to take up racquetball, not only here, but also around the world. That's what drives me, it really gives me strength, the privileged position and status that I have. I would like everyone to play tennis now, but I would be happy if they did any sport, with or without a ball, because activity is key, for health and for everything else, from a young age - says Novak Djokovic.
Messi, LeBron, Ronaldo, Djokovic - both similar and different
Novak Djokovic, along with Leo Messi, LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo, is the last member of the "old guard" of elite athletes, the most elite in the world.
We asked Nole what unites and separates these names.
- Each of us is different and unique in our own way. I admire them immensely and respect their sporting successes, and I had the opportunity to train with some of them and spend private time with them to exchange some words about methods, recovery, mental and psychophysical preparation, the way of observing sports, profession, the world and so on... That's where I realized that we have a lot of common ground through mentalities, through approach and championship mentality and I think that every name you listed tends to be better today than they were yesterday, regardless of age. LeBron and Ronaldo are both 40, they have entered their fifth decade and are still playing at the top level, which is impressive. Why is that? My somewhat subjective feeling is that the older you get, the more you have to work, the more attention you pay to details and all the elements of improvement in order to be able to keep up with the younger beasts who are racing and who will do anything to beat you and win trophies.
Stagnation does not exist, says Djokovic.
- You either progress or regress, at least I have always done things with maximum dedication, one hundred percent when it comes to tennis. For that, I have always had the support of the people who are the most important to me in my life, although it also carries some consequences and affects relationships in the family and with friends. You have to make many sacrifices in that context - concludes Novak Djokovic, winner of 24 Grand Slam trophies.
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