Success doesn’t happen overnight. It requires sheer dedication, hard work, and sacrifice. The 36-year-old Serbian tennis player, Novak Djokovic is a perfect example of how discipline and strategy can help you reach heights. Today, he’s the world’s number one in men’s tennis. But there were days when he used to take mid-match retirements. Fatigues, breathing problems, muscular issues crippled his game.

Everyone thought him to be a one-match-hero as if every success was a coincidence. But now he has become one of the fittest athletes in the world of sports. The influence of the 24 Grand Slam title holder on his counterparts is clearly visible nowadays. Here’s what the 64-year-old American tennis coach has to say about the extraordinary fitness standards set out by the Incredible Serb.

The influence of Novak Djokovic on the tennis world

Novak Djokovic is aging like a fine wine. The 36-year-old Serbian icon has clinched 7 titles this year including 3 out of 4 Grand Slam titles. He finished the year as number one for the 8th time in his career. Although he faced some stiff challenges this year, he has managed to outplay every player ranked in the top 15 of men’s singles. Now, he roars saying his appetite for success will only increase with these young challengers awakening the ‘beast’ in him. His presence has not only lifted others’ game but also their fitness levels.

Here’s what Brad Stine said on the ‘ATP Tennis Radio Podcast’. “I mean, if you look at the top guys in the game right now, from Novak and Daniil Medvedev, Sinner. Carlos is a little bit different, but he’s still in there. They’re all quite lean. Probably the word lanky might apply to them. We think of the players as being bigger, you know, from the standpoint of height, but I feel like the players are leaner now than they used to be.” After talking about the transition in the fitness levels of young tennis stars, Stine elaborated on the possible reasons behind it. 

Stine continued, “I think Novak’s kind of like led that charge a little bit, you know, players have seen what he’s done with his diet and how that’s translated to his movement on the court. Word in those kinds of things, and I think more players are applying that.”  

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The journey to the summit of the ATP rankings hasn’t been a cakewalk for the champ. He himself was his biggest opponent. Djokovic had to make a lot of sacrifices and cut down a few habits to reach where he is today.

The journey to the summit- Novak Djokovic

After struggling with various health problems and fitness, Novak Djokovic tried to overcome these issues by changing his routines and adopting new training modules. He even had surgery on his nose as he thought asthma might be a reason for this hindrance to the path of his goal. But nothing worked out for him until he consulted a Cypriot doctor to find a way out of these.

The doctor suggested he should try out a food sensitivity test as he suspected Djokovic might be having a digestive issue. Reports came, revealing that the Serb had a high sensitivity to wheat and milk products.

Hailing from a family that owned a pizza restaurant and cutting down wheat consumption habits seemed to be quite a difficult task. But Djokovic knew that to reach the pinnacle he had to make a few sacrifices, so he made the tough choice and we all can see the results. He lost almost 5-6 kg in a year and became fitter than ever before.

Novak Djokovic is known for setting examples on and off the field. He doesn’t seem to stop any sooner. How many Grand Slam titles do you think he will end up with at the end of his career?

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