Understanding how Djokovic's Mental Greatness is Driven by his Past and his Technique
The four images above capture moments where it appeared as if Novak Djokovic was on the precipice of defeat, particularly the first against Federer at Wimbledon in 2019.
As we all know, Djokovic would come back to win all four of these matches and win all four of these tournaments.
As it stands now, Djokovic is now the holder of 19 grand slam titles. He’s won the first two slams of 2021, has recorded his second French Open victory over Rafael Nadal and now has become the first member of the Big 3 to win multiple titles at all four grand slams.
When it appears as if Djokovic may be down and out, time and time again, he has proven that he almost never is. His opponents, with whatever advantage they believe they have, are almost always in possession of fool’s gold. It is not what it seems to be.
Not included in these photos is Djokovic’s match against Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2018, which was less than three years ago. At that point in time, Djokovic had 12 grand slams. He now has 19 and is one away from tying his two biggest rivals, a feat he can achieve next month at Wimbledon.
See the image below to relive what happened there.
Djokovic was one point away from being a break down in the fifth and a likely exit at the hands of Rafael Nadal, as he attempted to reemerge at the top of the game after a career down year in 2017 during which he won zero slams, the first time that had happened since 2010.
Djokovic saved the two break points and would go on to break Nadal to win 10-8 in the fifth and beat Kevin Anderson in the finals.
We have instance after instance after instance of Djokovic facing massive adversity and pulling through.
His career has been a lesson in handling adversity. He had to fight off Federer and Nadal to ascend to the top of the game, in addition to the crowds who were almost always against him en masse in monumental matches. The support for Federer and Nadal has been unwavering, regardless of what Djokovic has accomplished. The 2015 US Open is a prime example of this.
The conditions Djokovic grew up in were not customary for a young kid. Serbia was under constant bombing raids as Djokovic and his family were forced to stay in a shelter each night for several months, as the linked CNN article describes. Tennis was the last thing on his mind.
For that kid to become the World No. 1 and arguably the greatest ever is nothing short of remarkable.
It is important to remember that he wasn’t always this way on the court. At the beginning of his professional career, Djokovic faced physical, mental and technical demons. He had issues with mid-match retirements, racket smashing and a serve that had a debilitating hitch.
All of this, in due time, was conquered.
There are ample statistics demonstrating how much of a mental giant Djokovic is. The one we’ll focus on today is his fifth set record.
Djokovic, since 2011 is 23-5 in fifth sets, which includes 5 wins over Federer and Nadal combined. When it gets to the final frame in a big match, Djokovic has proven almost unbeatable in the last 10 years. The players that have beaten him are Nadal, Wawrinka, Murray, Thiem and Istomin.
What should be realized is that Djokovic is not the only player who has dealt with adversity. Each day, he faces an individual who has dedicated their entire life to the sport of tennis, sacrificing various parts of their lives in the hopes of being the best. Players who have seen it all, losing matches in every imaginable way. They’ve almost all travelled the entire globe, often with no companionship, in front of no fans, and lost money at one point or another.
This is all to say that while Djokovic’s story of adversity is unique and has certainly helped him become who he is, his opponents also have been hardened by their experiences too.
This then begs the question: what makes Djokovic different?
The answer is simple. He is a better tennis player. His shots are better.
Tennis is about hitting a ball to a target under pressure and at the professional level, it is about doing that one thing week in and week out over the course of many years.
Djokovic’s technique is by far the best on tour, when taking into the account the technique of every shot. His shots, as a whole, are more technically efficient (least amount of moving parts) and repeatable than any other player. There is no discernible weakness in his game that his opponents can exploit on a regular basis.
His technical greatness provides him with options to play offense and defense and to adapt on the fly, which is often how he becomes Houdini during these matches.
So when we wonder how Djokovic can pull himself out of all of these situations, we really do not need to overthink it. When facing pressure and adversity in big matches, Djokovic has more that he can call on and less that can go wrong than any other player.
Djokovic could be the mentally strongest individual on the planet. If he came into 2021 with his 2010 serve, he would not have won either the Australian Open or the French Open.
Djokovic’s strokes are the most efficient and repeatable, which allows him to transfer his skills seamlessly from surface to surface and from opponent to opponent, without worrying about his shots breaking down.
Djokovic will be the outright favorite going into Wimbledon. He will be the outright favorite going into the US Open. It is going to be immensely challenging for anyone to stop him on his mission of winning all four slams in the calendar year.