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Novak Djokovic: Inside A Champion's

Mentality

Novak Djokovic will try to become an undefeated Nitto ATP Finals champion
for the fourth time. © Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

ATP Staff
Nov 19, 2022

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Serbian one win from lifting a record-tying

sixth season finale trophy

Your Time
4:10 PM

As Novak Djokovic walked from his locker room towards

centre court at the Pala Alpitour on Saturday, the Serbian
closed his eyes for a moment. The five-time Nitto ATP
Finals winner was in the zone. Call it the champion’s
zone.

The 35-year-old found that area of focus when he needed

it most in the Turin semi-finals against Taylor Fritz, whom
he defeated in two tie-breaks to advance to the
championship match at the season finale.

“I was looking forward to being in this position. I'm very

happy to be able to compete for another big trophy, one
of the biggest ones that we have in our sport,” Djokovic
said. “So far a great week for me. Four out of four wins.
Of course, the last match of the season, I'm going to give
it all. I'm going to obviously try my best.”

Watch Djokovic vs Fritz SF Highlights:

Highlights: Djokovic Holds Off Fritz … 

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Novak Djokovic held his nerve in a pair of tie…

More often than not, Djokovic has discovered his best

tennis on the world’s biggest stages under the most
pressure. It is a champion’s intangible that the Serbian
has relied on in the toughest of moments.

It is not always easy for the former World No. 1 in the

Pepperstone ATP Rankings. On Friday, Djokovic needed
more than three hours to claw past Daniil Medvedev
while under physical distress. He put that behind him to
battle past Fritz in a tense semi-final.

“I like the fact that I was able to win against Medvedev

after a very long battle, then come back the next day after
not too much time for recovery, be able to win another
tight match against Fritz in two sets,” Djokovic said.
“That's something that has in a way defined my career
over the years. I've had similar situations where I was
able to bounce back and really make some big wins.

“I would love to, of course, win the trophy, but I'm not
going to be the only player who is going to want that on
the court. Hopefully I'll be able to play at the level that I've
played most of the matches this week and get a trophy.”

This is a position Djokovic is plenty familiar with. The

Serbian first triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals — then the
Tennis Masters Cup — in 2008. If he lifts the trophy
Sunday, it will make 14 years between his first and most
recent title at the year-end championships. The current
record belongs to Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, who
claimed their first and last season finale crowns eight
years apart.

Separately, Djokovic can tie Federer’s record of six Nitto

ATP Finals titles. He has positioned himself for this
opportunity through consistent evolution.

“I would like to believe that I'm evolving, as anybody else,

hopefully in a positive way. I'm experiencing changes on
my body and of course with my mentality, my mind, my
character. We all are evolving and moving along. Every
single year we are different people,” Djokovic said. “Of
course, with the different circumstances in life, you adapt
to them and you try to be [a] better version [than] you
have been the year before, not just in terms of athleticism
or results or tennis, but just in general.

“There is more experience. I like to maybe believe there is

more wisdom, as well, in terms of how I see things
related to my sport and my life. Of course, I'm seeing
tennis different and the life around tennis today than I've
seen it 15 years ago. I've always been very thorough with
my approach and analysis on and off the court.”

Djokovic developed this mindset under the tutelage of

Jelena Gencic, his first tennis coach. According to the 21-
time major winner, she “was very professional and had
that holistic approach to everything”.

“Of course, as I was getting older, each year was passing,

more things, more lessons learned, more things added,
some maybe put away,” Djokovic said. “It creates a
formula of success that is obviously working for you, but
maybe not for somebody else.”

Djokovic has successfully used that formula countless

time during his career. He will hope to do so once more
on Sunday, when the champion of champions will be
crowned.

Did You Know?

Djokovic is one victory from becoming an undefeated
Nitto ATP Finals champion for the fourth time. If he lifts
the trophy, it will come with the biggest payday in tennis
history: a record $4,740,300 in prize money.

More Stories Like This In: Match Reaction,

Nitto ATP Finals, Novak Djokovic, 2022

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