When studying success, I always like to learn from the best in whatever they do. Djokovic is the very best tennis player in the world at the moment, winning 22 of his last 23 matches including Wimbledon and the US Open this year (2018).
His life turned upside down in the last couple of years. He changed his racquet, switched coaches multiple times, became a father twice, and had his first surgery on his elbow. Djokovic even said he turned into a new player.
What are some of the key things that we can learn from Djokovic? First, he was the number 1 in the world, then he got injured and didn’t play for 6 months, and now he is the best again.
Sometimes hitting rock bottom could be a blessing. When things are okay, we tend to just go with the flow. However, when we face challenges and obstacles, we suddenly start to reflect and evaluate our situation better.
Novak definitely had a wake-up call after he lost motivation when he achieved his goal of winning a career grand slam (all 4 grand slam tournaments). After this incredible achievement, he lost motivation and became injured. We don’t know exactly what was going on inside his head, but his career slam goal meant a lot to him. It looks like he thought that would make him happy. Other tennis players have had similar experiences where they reached the number #1 position in the world, but felt unhappy after. It’s incredibly important to realize that something outside of you will never make you happy long term. Happiness always comes from within!
In this blog post I am not going to explain why, but if you would like to know more, then I highly recommend reading my Blog Post or watching my Video on the Secret of a Happy and Fulfilled Tennis Player!
Novak’s comeback after the French Open came with challenges because he didn’t play his best tennis right away and lost many early rounds. His elbow was also bothering him and things didn’t go the way he wanted. When he played Roland Garros (French Open) again, he was extremely frustrated after he lost in the quarterfinals.
After that loss, Djokovic said he spent some days in the mountains with his family to disassociate from tennis which helped him to clear his mind. He had a new perspective with a passion and joy for tennis…
A couple of weeks after that, he was playing his best tennis again and won Wimbledon for the 4th time. In an interview, he said that being a dad and playing for his son was his biggest motivation.
After winning the US Open a week ago, Djokovic shared how he had to learn to be patient, trust the process, and believe in himself. This was key, especially when he had doubts and things weren’t going well. Deep down, however, he knew he could come back and play at his best again.
Last but not least, his old coach Marian Vajda played a huge role in his come back. When they started working together, after they stopped for a year, Marian made some important changes. They worked on his fitness and his mindset of being a winner. Marian worked with Novak for years, so he knew what he needed.
In short, what are the practical takeaways that we can learn from Novak Djokovic his success?
- Take time to evaluate and reflect on yourself
- Find your why. What motivates you?
- Trust the process and believe in yourself
- Be surrounded by a great team
As you can see, mindset played a huge role in Novak’s success. If you’re serious about improving your tennis game and creating an unstoppable mindset, then schedule a call with me HERE to achieve exactly what you want.