Novak Djokovic has had a remarkable career spanning over two decades. The Serb has won a record 24 Grand Slams in his career so far. The 37-year-old’s biography “Searching for Novak” written by acclaimed author, Mark Hodgkinson was released in July this year.
The book dives deep into the psychology of Djokovic and covers his triumphs, challenges, and controversies. Hodgkinson explores the shaping of the tennis legend through close in-depth interviews with those closest to Djokovic.
The author recently opened up about his research on Djokovic and what makes the Serb stand apart on the tennis court:
“I think on the mental side, his strength comes from the fact that he’s worked very, very hard on this. Lots of people say to him, ‘you were born with this’, but actually he dedicates as much time, as much effort working on his mind as working on his body,” Hodgkinson said.
Hodgkinson went on to term Djokovic the ”most dedicated” tennis player ever
“Out of all the players who’ve ever played tennis, Novak has been the most dedicated, he’s put more into his preparations, more into his tennis than any other athletes. I spoke to one of his friends who said, you know, the whole time he’s constantly asking himself the question, ‘How will this help my tennis?’,” Hodgkinson added.
“Novak Djokovic has the most original mind in tennis” Mark Hodgkinson lauds the Serb’s mental foray
Djokovic is known for his mental strength along with his on-court play. The 37-year-old has been able to maintain his composure in the toughest of situations to emerge victorious. A fine example of this was his 2012 Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal. The Serb was down two sets to one and roared back into the game to dominate the final three sets to clinch the title.
Mark Hodgkinson spoke about the mental fortitude of Djokovic and hailed the tennis legend as the ‘most original mind’ in tennis:
“I think, if you look at the history of tennis, Novak has got that sort of amazing technical ability. And he works on his body. But I think it’s the mind that really makes him stand out[…] I feel like he has such a fascinating mind. Probably the most original mind, certainly in tennis and maybe across all sports,” he said.
The World No.2 is now gearing up to compete in his first-ever Olympic final as he faces Carlos Alcaraz in the gold medal match of the men’s singles event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.