Rome Italy) – With an increasingly tight calendar, Novak Djokovic does not hide from anyone that his priority, at almost 37 years old, is the big tournaments. In 2024, the current world number 1 has played just 15 games in four different competitions, with 11 wins. He took Serbia to the quarterfinals of the United Cup, made semis at the Australian Open and Monte Carlo and didn’t get past the third round at Indian Wells.
Furthermore, the Serbian announced two important departures from his team within a month. First, Croatian coach Goran Ivanisevic. Then, the Italian physical trainer Marco Panichi. Faced with so many changes in planning and preparing for competitions, Nole spoke about how he is currently managing his career. Briefly and succinctly, he explained his absence in Madrid and spoke about his impressions of his first days in Rome.
“It wasn’t on the calendar [jogar o Masters de Madri], the plan was to come here. That’s basically it. I had a lot of time to rest and train, I had a good training block. I arrived here two days ago to play on the cCentral Court and spend another four or five days training with top players before my first match. By training with them, you can see where your game level is and prepare yourself better. I think I’m on the right track to reach my peak at Roland Garros”, he said.
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Djokovic also commented on the professionals who are at his side in this new stage of his career and reinforced that his priority is the Grand Slam and the Paris Olympic Games. “I am currently working with a fitness coach who I have worked with for many years. It didn’t take me long to adapt to his program, as we know each other very well. So I feel like we were in sync from the beginning in terms of what we wanted to do and how to approach the training program alongside Nenad [Zimonjic, treinador]. I am satisfied with the last 14 days of training focused on this tournament, but mainly for Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympic Games. This is the block we are preparing for”, he admitted.
Difficulties at the beginning of your career
Nole also spoke about the importance of having a good team around him and recalled his difficult experience in his youth days when he did not have access to as many resources as he does today to develop as a player. He believes that this background was important for him to become who he is today.
“I have always been in favor of having a quality team and environment around me, having people who are experts in their field, who have experience, knowledge and who also understand psychology. I didn’t have a proper team until I was 18 or so. Until that moment I shared cars, traveled in groups. It was a different time, as I grew up in Serbia, which at that time was going through very difficult times,” he explains.
“Financially it was almost impossible to have a personal trainer and other things. If you don’t have a sponsor or someone behind you, like a federation, it’s almost impossible to do this. For me, these were different circumstances than other young people we see on the circuit today. If you come from an Italian, French, American or British federation, you have all these conditions, all that infrastructure and support system that make your life easier. However, life is not always easy and we need to learn from difficulties. I really enjoyed the time I traveled and the challenges I faced alone, without anyone. This is also a very valuable life experience for me, as it helped me understand how I can take care of myself and be independent,” he added.
