Novak Djokovic is largely a huge inspiration for his opponents and his admirers alike, for all his achievements in the sport of tennis. At the age of 36, Djokovic is not only competitive but remains dominant on the ATP Tour, having won the first 2 Grand Slams of 2023. He is also the overwhelming favorite to win the Wimbledon 2023 title, being the defending champion.
For his versatility in terms of playing as per the conditions on offer, Djokovic’s skills have never been in question after he won his first Wimbledon title back in 2011. One of his standout strengths is his flexibility, which makes his reach on the court remarkable.
However, what makes him a complete player is arguably his habits off the court when it comes to eating and training. This enables him to fulfil the high physical demands of the men’s tennis game in the modern era, which takes a lot out of any player, especially after playing for so many years on the ATP Tour.
Novak Djokovic’s turning point that made him switch his diet
Novak Djokovic recently revealed in an interview with one of his long-time supporters in London ahead of the Wimbledon 2023 Championships that the year 2010 was the first turning point of his career. Djokovic was referring to that period since he was not able to compete to win Grand Slams and often found himself retiring hurt due to injuries in other ATP Tour matches as well. As per his own book called ‘Serve To Win, the 14-day Gluten-Free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence’, what stunned the Serbian is that he was proven to be ‘gluten intolerant’ by a reputed Croatian doctor.
That moment was pivotal in making the now 23-time Grand Slam champion realize that he had to significantly upgrade his dietary preferences and habits for his own health, as he was also suffering from asthma at the time. If he took care of his health, his fitness would automatically improve and he could begin becoming more competitive than he was.
To his credit, Novak Djokovic then began learning to understand more about nutrition and which hacks would work the best for him. He picked out top nutritionists as well as spiritual guides. Largely based on their suggestions, Djokovic quit processed foods, dairy and refined sugars, making him rely initially a lot on fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, quinoa, oats, protein and vitamin supplements, fish and white meat.
Is Novak Djokovic vegan or vegetarian? The World No.2’s fitness evolution
As his body adapted to a gluten free, sugar-free, dairy-free, junk-free diet in some years and he became more spiritually inclined, Djokovic completely gave up non-vegetarian food items as well. This meant that Djokovic went completely plant-based around the 2017-2018 season. It is not surprising that it coincided with the World No.2’s grand comeback on the ATP Tour, being virtually unbeatable in most tournaments, which was visible in his Wimbledon 2018 win.
Djokovic realized that consuming raw form of vegetables make the body more alkaline in nature, which can make a person feel much lighter and relaxed. As a result, every morning of his begins with lemon water, celery juice and smoothies. He recently revealed in another interview with BBC Sport that his favorite daily foods are fruits such as mangoes and strawberries, which means they are a part of his breakfast. Thanks to these kind of foods, Djokovic is able to retain his on-court energy since they ironically do not take much energy out of an individual.
He makes sure to have as much organic food as possible, yet he occasionally enjoys healthy, guilt-free substitutes of pasta, cheese and chicken for example, to bring in more fuel to the body and taste to the tongue. These habits make him relax the mind as well, as he is able to perform Tai Chi and yoga daily with ease. It is crucial for him to get 8-9 hours of sleep religiously daily as he prefers waking up before sunrise in order to have a set meditation routine.
The critical word here is ‘routine’. Djokovic is a firm believer in the fact that humans are naturally created to follow set biological patterns daily for best results in any aspects of life, which is why he does not prefer to experiment with global cuisines or training methods even if he is tempted to. However, to sharpen his brain and challenge himself, he sometimes opts to change minor things up without compromising his routine.
Such discipline has impressed the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios, who believe that it sets Djokovic apart from his biggest rivals as he treats his mind and body like a temple. When it comes to temples literally, the man is a big believer in Buddhism and in fact, during each Wimbledon Championship, visits a monk to channelize his energies and practice visualization techniques.
Again, the method behind the madness of Novak Djokovic winning 4 back-to-back Wimbledon titles has been revealed. His blueprint of living might well be followed by the next generation of players as the game gets more competitive and faster. The only question remains – ‘Will they be able to topple Djokovic himself?. Retirement is a thought faraway from his mind, as more Grand Slams and ATP titles await the champion, something never seen in men’s singles tennis history before.
