Djokovic Embracing Change On Eve Of Wimbledon Campaign
New routines and new coaches have been put in place for Novak Djokovic ahead of The Championships at Wimbledon, but the Serbian is confident in his choices as he prepares to go for his fourth crown at SW19.
The 30-year-old Djokovic played at an ATP World Tour grass-court event the week before Wimbledon for the first time since 2010 at the Aegon International in Eastbourne last week, winning the title with victory over Gael Monfils, and then announced the addition of Mario Ancic to his coaching team.
Speaking to the media at The All England Club on Sunday, Djokovic, who hit with Canadian #NextGenATP player Denis Shapovalov earlier in the day under the watchful eyes of Ancic and Andre Agassi, commented, “It seems to be right now a good decision to have played Eastbourne.
“Obviously I was not playing too many of the events in the week prior to the beginning of the Grand Slam in my career, but I decided to do so this time because I felt like I needed more matches in general. Especially on the grass, which is a unique surface that requires time for adaptation and adjustment, especially for the movement.
“I felt like this time I needed a proper tournament rather than just playing a couple of exhibition matches. I'm glad I've made that decision, and that I went to Eastbourne, because it was a very positive experience on and off the court as well. The people were very kind. It was a great week with a lot of good, positive energy. A lot of time spent on the practice courts, four quality matches. Just overall, I’m very happy with the way it went, and where my form is at.”
Looking to add to his Wimbledon titles from 2011 (d. Nadal), 2014 (d. Federer) and 2015 (d. Federer), World No. 4 Djokovic is due to open his campaign against Martin Klizan on Tuesday.
The Belgrade native has endured tough times on the court over the past 12 months, dropping to No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after his Roland Garros quarter-final loss to Dominic Thiem, as well as overhauling his coaching team in 2017. But the Serbian explained that in his new philosophy on life, his contentment no longer hinges on his results on the court. It’s an approach he hopes will be empowering over the next fortnight at SW19.
“I used to base all my happiness on winning a tennis match,” said Djokovic. “I think many athletes today are doing that. So I try not to do that anymore, because it's not like I don't care, but winning and losing a tennis match, absolutely not. Of course, I would love to win every single tennis match I play in, but I don't try to take that as a very essential moment in my life, which determines my happiness.
“It's a different approach, but I'm still here and I'm still motivated, I still keep on going. I'm still glad to kind of experience whatever my professional tennis career has for me.
“It seems to me that, especially nowadays, everything is observed through the lens of material success, who lifts more trophies gets more respect, more fame, more money, and a better status in the society.
“I mean, it's hard in this kind of values to go through that process. But for me, it's equally important, even more important, to take care of myself as a human being.”
Source: http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/djokovic-wimbledon-2017-preview
The 30-year-old Djokovic played at an ATP World Tour grass-court event the week before Wimbledon for the first time since 2010 at the Aegon International in Eastbourne last week, winning the title with victory over Gael Monfils, and then announced the addition of Mario Ancic to his coaching team.
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| Novak Djokovic practises with Denis Shapovalov under the watchful eyes of Mario Ancic and Andre Agassi. |
“Obviously I was not playing too many of the events in the week prior to the beginning of the Grand Slam in my career, but I decided to do so this time because I felt like I needed more matches in general. Especially on the grass, which is a unique surface that requires time for adaptation and adjustment, especially for the movement.
“I felt like this time I needed a proper tournament rather than just playing a couple of exhibition matches. I'm glad I've made that decision, and that I went to Eastbourne, because it was a very positive experience on and off the court as well. The people were very kind. It was a great week with a lot of good, positive energy. A lot of time spent on the practice courts, four quality matches. Just overall, I’m very happy with the way it went, and where my form is at.”
Looking to add to his Wimbledon titles from 2011 (d. Nadal), 2014 (d. Federer) and 2015 (d. Federer), World No. 4 Djokovic is due to open his campaign against Martin Klizan on Tuesday.
The Belgrade native has endured tough times on the court over the past 12 months, dropping to No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after his Roland Garros quarter-final loss to Dominic Thiem, as well as overhauling his coaching team in 2017. But the Serbian explained that in his new philosophy on life, his contentment no longer hinges on his results on the court. It’s an approach he hopes will be empowering over the next fortnight at SW19.
“I used to base all my happiness on winning a tennis match,” said Djokovic. “I think many athletes today are doing that. So I try not to do that anymore, because it's not like I don't care, but winning and losing a tennis match, absolutely not. Of course, I would love to win every single tennis match I play in, but I don't try to take that as a very essential moment in my life, which determines my happiness.
“It's a different approach, but I'm still here and I'm still motivated, I still keep on going. I'm still glad to kind of experience whatever my professional tennis career has for me.
“It seems to me that, especially nowadays, everything is observed through the lens of material success, who lifts more trophies gets more respect, more fame, more money, and a better status in the society.
“I mean, it's hard in this kind of values to go through that process. But for me, it's equally important, even more important, to take care of myself as a human being.”
Source: http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/djokovic-wimbledon-2017-preview
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