What is that one word that truly defines Novak Djokovic‘s enormous success in the tennis world? “Out of all the players who’ve ever played tennis, Novak has been the most dedicated,” says Mark Hodgkinson. That’s quite a big statement! Especially since rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer aren’t too far away from the Djoker in achievements. However, Djokovic has indeed been time and again seen putting in some serious efforts to work on his mind and body to bring the best results on the court. According to the biographer, sheer dedication and a stronger mindset separates a player from a champion.

Just for example, Novak faced multiple health issues and fitness problems during the initial phases of his career. After going through multiple tests in order to figure out the main problem, it was found that he had a high sensitivity to wheat and milk products. As a result, he was forced to cut down on both of these substances.

Hailing from a family that once owned a pizza restaurant and cutting down the habit of consumption of wheat was never easy. However, his sheer dedication towards the sport and his hunger to reach the summit didn’t allow him to think twice before taking a call on this. Result? He lost almost five to six kg in a year and became a fitter version of himself.

This is what separated young Nole from others! Speaking more on this, Hodgkinson (author of ‘Searching for Novak’) revealed that when Djokovic was a child, he didn’t just turn up to the court with a racquet; he used to carry a towel and water bottle as well. This shows us he was literally prepared and ready to roar right from a young age. “Out of all the players who’ve ever played tennis, Novak has been the most dedicated, says he’s put more into his preparations, more into his tennis than any other athletes,” said the biographer.

His dedication to the sport and to himself sets him above Federer and Nadal for Hodgkins. While speaking to Djokovic’s friends, he came to know that Novak always used to ask himself a question, “How will this help my tennis?”

It was more like if something was not going to help him in his journey with tennis, then he was not going to do it. That was the level of his dedication towards the racquet sport! What does Novak have to say about the lessons that he has learned over the years by playing this beautiful sport?

Novak Djokovic strongly believes that if someone is dedicated to constant improvement, then it may soon take them to the stars

During an interview earlier this year, Djokovic spoke about the lessons he has learned by playing the racquet sport. Firstly, he mentioned that it has made him more resilient and also helped him develop mentally, physically, and emotionally. Then he went on to add, “If you do things in the right way, if you’re dedicated on a daily basis to constant improvement approach of trying to perfect your skills, yourself as a person, as an athlete, it will get you to stars and even further.“

The 37-year-old Serb strongly believes that in an individual sport like tennis, it’s very important to stay committed. Long-term and short-term goals are very much crucial for every player to help the players get inspired to find strength and a moment of energy when they need it the most. His advice to all athletes is, “It is a commitment, it is important for a tennis player to think and evaluate with themselves and decide how much they want to be dedicated to the sport.“

Once when he was asked to reflect a bit on how he wants the world to remember him. In reply, Djokovic kept all the trophies aside and revealed that he wants to be remembered for his dedication and devotion to the sport. Now, after years of dedicating so much time and effort towards the sport, he’s standing just one step behind achieving his childhood dream in Paris. Do you think he can finally win the Olympics gold at Paris?