“You Are a Human Being”

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday December 12, 2023

In his current 60 Minutes interview with Jon Wertheim, Novak Djokovic granted followers entry to the headspace of a tennis legend, and corrected a long-held misnomer about his psychological prowess.

It could appear to be a present, however Djokovic assured Wertheim that his psychological toughness is a instrument that has been honed right into a weapon via a long time of exhausting work.

When Wertheim instructed Djokovic that he felt that his psychological power was his largest present, he was rapidly corrected by the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

“It’s not a gift,” he mentioned. “It’s something that comes with work. There are different techniques. Conscious breathing is a big part, especially in the moments when you’re under tension.”

Novak Djokovic’s complete interview on 60 Minutes is great — however this clip of him speaking about growing psychological toughness is very nice.

“Even though there is no physical contact in tennis, there’s still a lot of eye contact”pic.twitter.com/xoun67y7DF

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) December 11, 2023

The Grand Slam king then defined his philosophy of acceptance, and the way his sense of self-identity propels his mentality.

“I might appear [to be] locked in. But trust me, there is a storm inside,” he mentioned. “Always the biggest battle is within, right? You have your doubts and fears. I feel it every single match. I don’t like this kind of a mindset that I see a lot in sports. Like, ‘Just think positive thoughts. Be optimistic. There is no room for failure. There is no room for doubts,’ and stuff like this. it’s impossible to do that.”

Djokovic confused the significance of accepting one’s imperfections on court docket, and rapidly regaining composure when crucial. His message? Its alright to make errors, nevertheless it’s not alright to allow them to linger.

“You are a human being,” he mentioned. “The difference between the guys who are able to be the biggest champions and the ones that are struggling to get to the highest level is the ability to not stay in those emotions for too long. For me, it’s really relatively short. So as soon as I experience it, I acknowledge it. I maybe burst. I scream on the court, whatever happens, but then I’m able to bounce back and reset.”

Novak Djokovic says in tennis, the largest battle is inside. He admits he has fears and doubts, however the secret to his success is his means to bounce again and reset. https://t.co/dm0H5uTkBs pic.twitter.com/nGzQO46rnX

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) December 12, 2023

Mental Toughness the Key to 2019 Wimbledon Final

Djokovic talked about his well-known victory over Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2019, a victory that noticed him develop into the primary man to avoid wasting championship factors and win a Wimbledon remaining since 1949. He saved a pair of championship factors and went on to outduel Federer within the first fifth-set tiebreak Wimbledon remaining historical past.

It wasn’t his serene tennis that gained him the title, says Djokovic. He says he was removed from excellent in that contest, however higher within the largest moments – and it was sufficient.

“The sets that I won were all won in tiebreaks, 7-6, 7-6, 13-12,” he mentioned. “And overall, if you see stats, he was the far better player in every aspect. But I won the match. And so that actually tells you that you can still win if you pick and choose in which moments of the match you’re peaking, and you’re playing your best when it matters.”