Does Novak Djokovic Have Any Disease? Why Does He Follow a Strict Gluten-Free Diet?

Addiction can be called a disease or a condition. Whichever way you want to put it, Novak Djokovic certainly has a problem. Because the man is addicted to winning, he just can’t have enough. He just can’t. 38 years old, and the Serbian legend is back in yet another Grand Slam semi-final. You know what he is playing for – the 25th singles Major, something that reinforces his position at the pinnacle of the sport, and puts him ahead of Margaret Court’s record 24 Major titles.

He would also be the oldest to win a Grand Slam in the Open era if he can go all the way in the 2025 US Open. Yes, there’s Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Felix Auger Aliassime, but you wouldn’t count Novak Djokovic out, would you? In fact, the bigger question is – how does the Serb keep doing it? How is he so fit even at 38, playing such high-quality, effective tennis? Well, the key lies in how he has maintained his body.

The path to 24 Grand Slam victories and 53 Grand Slam semi-finals, the most ever in tennis, started with a crucial change in 2010. And the change was prompted due to health issues that were hampering his performance on the court. But does that mean the Serbian has any underlying condition that he has been dealing with? Read on to find out.

Does Novak Djokovic have a disease? The facts behind his health journey

Celiac disease is a condition where a person has an abnormal reaction to gluten – a protein found in cereal grains like wheat, barley, and rye. Even though Djokovic has never been known to have that condition explicitly, the Serbian does have an intolerance to gluten and dairy-based products. Add to that a mild sensitivity to tomatoes after a diagnosis came from Dr. Igor Cetojevic.

It all started when the Serbian had a problematic 2010 season, where he would have to forfeit many tournaments midway and had mid-match collapses due to fatigue and fitness issues. Turned out it was a dietary issue that was making him weak.

In the South China Morning Post, where Djokovic opened up about his health and diet, Hong Kong-based sports nutritionist Kelvin Hau gave insights about gluten intolerance and how it can put your body in discomfort. “Common symptoms include gastrointestinal discomfort such as bloating, flatulence, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation,” Dr. Hau said in the article.

But athletes can experience further problems from the condition. “Athletes may also experience headaches, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms can disrupt training routines, impair recovery and reduce focus during competition, ultimately limiting athletic potential.” No doubt Novak Djokovic had to address it. And that prompted a massive gluten free lifestyle change, which immediately saw the Serbian become a better performer on the circuit.

But the gluten condition is not the only thing Djokovic has been dealing with. After his 2025 Wimbledon campaign, he also opened up about his other issues to the South China Morning Post. “I often have stomach issues, indigestion issues, when I am nervous,” the 4-time US Open champion shared.

Well, Djokovic has dealt with each of his challenges to reach the summit, but it all started with changing his diet 15 years ago.

Novak Djokovic’s Gluten-Free diet: the secret to his tennis dominance

Greatness, glory, and immortality need sacrifice. Novak Djokovic comes from a family that owned a pizzeria. But per Dr. Igor Cetojevic’s counsel, the Serbian tennis star gave up pasta, bread, refined sugar, to switch to a strict diet, the culinary listing of which will, no doubt, sound spartan on paper. But otherwise he won’t be able to compete at the highest level at the age of 38. It’s necessary.

In short, Djokovic’s diet majorly includes vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, white meat, fish, fruit, chickpeas, lentils, and healthy oils. In his 2014 book, Serve to Win, Djokovic gave his fans a glimpse of what his meals look like in a day. His day starts with a glass of warm water and lemon, which ‘helps his body detoxify’. Then, he eats, “a breakfast perfectly calibrated to my body for the day ahead – the same breakfast almost every day of my life,” he wrote in the book. The breakfast to be a champion in the sport.

Breakfast involves an ‘energy-boosting bowl’ consisting of mixed seeds, mixed nuts, gluten-free muesli, berries, strawberries, banana, and yogurt. Along with that, he drinks a glass of celery juice and a green smoothie, full of antioxidant-rich ingredients. The green smoothie has peas, celery, apple juice, mint, spinach, and kale.

Next comes a mid-morning snack, if needed, which involves crackers with avocado and tuna. If a mid-afternoon snack is needed, Djokovic goes for an apple with cashew butter. At lunch, the tennis icon has mixed green salad, along with spicy soba noodle salad or gluten-free pasta with vegan cheese. Soba noodles are a Japanese noodle, made with buckwheat flour, low on the glycemic index and gluten, a very healthy alternative to wheat.

For dinner, Djokovic opts for a whole lemon-roasted chicken with mixed green salad and carrot and ginger soup. Alternatively, it can be a kale Caesar salad plus dressing, including anchovies or sardines, and minestrone soup. Another option is salmon fillets (skin on) with roasted tomatoes and marinade.

Sounds posh and classy, right? More importantly, it is what helps Novak Djokovic function. “Suddenly there was an X factor, a change in my diet that allowed my body to perform the way it was meant to,” Djokovic wrote in his book. Immediately as he started to follow the gluten-free diet, he had more energy and was feeling lighter.

To test that it is the dietary change, Dr. Cetojevic suggested that Djokovic have a bagel after 2 weeks. The result was lethargy, fatigue, almost akin to a hangover. And that’s it. The radical change came. Novak Djokovic started a new journey of a gluten-free regime, and the rest, as we know, is history.

How Novak Djokovic’s diet and lifestyle give him a mental and physical edge

The men’s Grand Slam leader simply said to The Post, “It doesn’t happen by accident.” If you read some of the things he follows, you would probably not believe it. Drinking water which comes from tunnels underneath a pyramid in Bosnia because it has mystical healing energy – does that sound right? Well, we just know the numbers. 7-time Wimbledon Champion, 3-time French Open Champion – Novak Djokovic has taken down both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at their den.

“In both my personal life and to stay on top of the sport, I prioritize being consistent and dedicated to my daily wellness practices,” Djokovic said. “I treat my body with respect and listen to it closely, being open to new technologies, adjusting my training, and placing as much emphasis on recovery and mental health as on performance.”

The commitment he has shown to his craft is probably the greatest thing tennis fans have had to witness. To be a tennis great, he has prioritized longevity. And for longevity, he focused on “recovery through sleep, meditation, proper hydration and emotional grounding”. So much so that it has become his life – this holistic wellness lifestyle.

In his book, Serve to Win: The 14-Day Gluten-Free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence, he spoke about how conversations can influence the food we eat, and that a negative conversation and bad feelings can lead to loss of nutritional energy in the food. “You must protect your energy, actively choose to surround yourself with the right people, the right habits and learn to say no when needed,” he wrote.

Novak Djokovic has forced through all kinds of challenges, psychological and physical, and to stand here, where, at 38, the tennis world knows he has an equal chance of grinding down an opponent like Carlos Alcaraz as much as Alcaraz can beat him. This is the power of the sacrifice he has made, the regime he follows in life, the food he eats for being a Grand Slam Champion. This is why Novak Djokovic is a tennis legend. Experience the 2025 US Open as they unfold with EssentiallySports’ real-time updates.