Tennis never seems to slow down! Just as fans were catching their breath after the excitement of the US Open, the spotlight quickly shifted to the Davis Cup. And with the tournament back in full swing, the buzz is real, both on and off the court. Of course, all eyes are on Novak Djokovic, the Serbian maestro who’s riding high after his recent Olympic success. But Djokovic gave the tennis world a heartwarming moment. In a rare moment of indulgence, he broke his famously strict diet, and the reason behind it couldn’t be sweeter—his daughter, Tara.

The Serbian tennis sensation handed a baffling defeat to Greece’s Ioannis Xilas on Saturday, 6-0, 6-1. In the process, he converted five of his seven break points to finish the match in only 45 minutes. This did not just help him strengthen Serbia’s position in the tournament but also gave it a 2-0 lead over Greece. But what caught the attention of the fans was the celebration after the match, which included a deviation from his strict dieting rules.

Djokovic was seen celebrating the win with his children and a couple of other kids in the Davis Cup. Then he quickly headed to his daughter Tara, who was enjoying some popcorn during the match and took a few chunks from her. Interestingly, he broke the strict diet rules that he had been following for years with this move.

Remember, Djokovic is known for his strict and organic diet in the tennis arena. After testing sensitive to gluten, Nole changed his diet completely in 2010, which also marked the beginning of his glorious career. He has been avoiding gluten and dairy products for a very long time. Since then, he has been quite careful about everything he eats, and hence, the latest gesture demonstrated the much-needed break he might have been eyeing. Djokovic is one of the most meticulous people when it comes to food.

For the unversed, he buys as much organic food as possible and tries to cook most of his meals himself. In fact, he tries to choose only those hotels that would let him cook his own food during tours. It is for this probable reason that he quickly recovered from the injury he faced at the French Open and played a sensational game at Wimbledon. Nole’s fans have been surprised by the latest gesture, also because of the control he has demonstrated on previous occasions when it comes to food.

When Novak Djokovic exercised immense resistance to an unhealthy diet in court

While several publications have been revealing various facts about Novak Djokovic’s diet habits for a very long time, the Serb opened up about his habits himself. In his book, Serve to Win, Nole highlighted how he exercised control over his eating habits, and one such gesture was, in fact, witnessed by the fans on the courts in 2012.

After winning his almost six-hour battle in the 2012 Australian Open, Djokovic had a craving to eat chocolate, which he had cut out completely for 18 months. While the Serb was given one chocolate bar by his physiotherapist, he decided not to let his cravings interfere with his dieting habits. Djokovic broke off only one small square from the bar, let it melt in his mouth, and left the rest. Such acts speak highly of the success he has achieved in his career.

But for now, Djokovic seems to be breaking away from such resistant habits. As he moves forward in the Davis Cup, it will be interesting to see if more such incidents emerge on the courts.