You wouldn’t think a 24-time Grand Slam champion is missing anything in his career. But for Novak Djokovic, a man who has mastered the loneliest sport on earth, a simple spring football practice at UCLA revealed the one thing individual glory can’t provide.

“It’s one of the things that I’m, you know, really missing is that team spirit is what you guys are building,” Djokovic opened up. “What you guys are nurturing here on an everyday basis is seeing you guys how much you enjoy supporting each other, lifting each other up, and bringing that spirit up. It’s only going to serve you as a team.”

During his chat with the players, Novak pointed out that tennis is a lonely grind where it’s basically you versus the world. Not only that, but he also dropped some serious life advice.

His big takeaway for the Bruins was that while 10% of life is what happens to you, the other 90% is all about how you choose to react to it. Even at the peak age of 38, Djokovic is as good as anybody in his sport, except for Alcaraz and maybe Sinner. His message of resilience carries weight, as Djokovic himself continues to compete at an elite level, currently ranked World No. 3 after a deep run at the Australian Open.

Djokovic’s visit couldn’t have been timed better for a UFCLA program looking to reclaim relevance. While USC has dominated the recent LA headlines with high-profile coaching moves and flashy recruits, the Bruins quietly brought in a global icon to validate their new direction. It’s a subtle but significant flex in the endless battle for local supremacy.

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Novak was there, soaking up the atmosphere and basically acting like their biggest fan. The multiple-time Grand Slam winner’s awe of team chemistry isn’t surprising, given the isolation of a solo sport. While a quarterback has a protective line and a defense to lean on, a tennis player faces every pressure point alone.

For Novak Djokovic, seeing players rally around one goal highlights a shared resilience that singles’ court simply cannot offer. This admiration for the team dynamic seems to have made a fan out of Djokovic, who said he hopes the Bruins become the best team in the NCAA next year.

Bob Chesney has completely changed the way he runs things around Pasadena after taking over a 3–9 team last December. He’s all about a culture he calls the ‘4 Cs’: competence, connection, chemistry, and character. Instead of only teaching football, he first made sure the players got along and supported one another. Since it’s March, the team is currently grinding through spring practices and getting ready for their big move to the Rose Bowl later this year with high hopes.

The college football analysts are a bit more optimistic about UCLA this season than they have been in a long time. If things break right for the year 1 coach, and the four Cs truly translate to the field, a 7-8 win is well within their reach. However, still, there’s one question that lingers: Is Novak Djokovic simply a fan of football, or has he quietly become an honorary Bruin?

Is Novak Djoković a UCLA alum?

Even with a busy schedule preparing for Indian Wells, Djokovic still took time to speak with the college players. Mind you, the 38-year-old isn’t a UCLA alum at all. In fact, he has never attended a university a day in his life. The word is actually that he went pro at the young age of 16 back in 2003. So instead of a college degree, he spent his teens at the Nikola Pilić Academy in Germany.

However, he mentioned before that missing out on the “university life” is one of his only regrets because he loves the idea of being part of a student group. Even though he’s not a graduate, he’s basically an “honorary Bruin” because he treats the campus like his second home. He regularly uses the Los Angeles Tennis Center as his personal training hub before big tournaments like Indian Wells, which explains the connection he has with UCLA.

He’s also super close with the UCLA tennis staff and often stops by to hang out with the players, run drills on the football field, and take selfies with everyone on campus. Ultimately, it’s a huge benefit for the program and its players when one of the greatest athletes of all time casually drops by to share invaluable wisdom.