USA Today via Reuters
Sep 10, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after winning a break point against Alexander Zverev of Germany (not pictured) in the fifth set on day twelve of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 10, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after winning a break point against Alexander Zverev of Germany (not pictured) in the fifth set on day twelve of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has had one of his best seasons this year. He won titles at the first three Grand Slam events of the season. Only a select few players have managed to beat the Serbian ace this season.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Recently, Novak Djokovic was praised by a fellow countryman and NBA star, Bogdan Bogdanovic. He complimented the World No. 1 on his greatness and the manner in which he keeps himself focused. The Serb elaborated that Nole is such a champion that athletes from other sports can learn from him.
Bogdan was questioned whether he’s friends with Nole and to expand on his relationship with the tennis player. The Atlanta Hawks player stated, “Yeah, I can say friends or even a little bit more than friends. He’s such an inspiration. The way he handles everything, you know. His mindset was always to be the greatest of all time. He wasn’t like okay I’m going to win one Grand Slam. When he didn’t even win a Grand Slam, he was still chasing the greatest, he was not chasing a Grand Slam.”
The mind of Novak Djokovic is key to his success
Djokovic’s mental strength is one of his biggest assets. Bogdan understands that and highlighted one of his unique qualities. Players like Federer and Nadal were well established in the game when Novak began making his mark. As of today, they are all on 20 Grand Slam titles each.
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia speaks to the crowd during the trophy presentation ceremony after his match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia (not pictured) in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
The 29-year-old player added, “That’s something a lot of athletes can learn from that guy. It doesn’t matter which sports you are playing, the mentality is the same. The things he does for his body, the way he handles everything around him, and it’s inspirational so that’s more than friendship.”
Djokovic was most recently seen in New York. He ended up losing to Daniil Medvedev in the final of the US Open, which stopped him from winning his 21st Grand Slam title and the Calendar Grand Slam. However, he will surely be back and it will be interesting to see how he performs during the remainder of the season.
Watch this story: Top Seeds Naomi Osaka, John Isner, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Others Who Faced Huge Upsets at US Open
