“It is through conscious breathing that I try to get myself back into an optimal state, whether in terms of mind or body. Two, five, ten breaths depending on how much time I have… Thanks to conscious breathing, it’s that simple.”
Concentrate on the air that enters and leaves your lungs, no longer make it, for a few seconds, a purely automatic biological mechanism. This is Novak Djokovic’s method for managing important, difficult moments in a match. To manage his seasons, the player with 24 Grand Slam titles is adept at another type of breathing: that in his calendar.
Putting aside the Asian tour…
After his victorious run during a US Open played in conditions – heat and high humidity – capable of pressing the best prepared players until the last drop of sweat, the Serbian honored the colors of his country. Four days after his final against Daniil Medvedev in New York, he was back on court to face the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, playing in front of his home crowd, in the Davis Cup. The next day, he was back on track for a double, lost with Nikola Čačić against the Czech Republic. A defeat of little importance, the two nations having already qualified for the Final 8.
As a result, after these three grueling weeks, the 36-year-old felt the need to extricate himself from the drum of an ATP machine that never stops. No Asian tour for him. “Over the years, it has been in China that I have experienced some of the best support in the worldhe wrote via Twitter. Shanghai has always been one of my favorite tournaments. I will miss the Chinese #NoleFam. I hope to come back to China in the future to perform in front of you all again.” The penultimate Masters 1000 of the year, the Shanghai tournament was anchored as the highlight of the season in Asia.
Over the years, some of the best support I receive anywhere in the world is in China. Shanghai has always been one of my favorite tournaments in the season. I will be missing my #Don’tFam in China. I hope that I can come back to China in the future and play in front of all of you…
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) September 17, 2023
…to recharge the batteries…
Quadruple winner in the city located at the mouth of the immense Yangtze, a record, the nicknamed “Nole” undoubtedly made this decision looking at the medium term. Until the Masters punctuating an already successful year 2023 for him. Crowned at the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and the US Open – and finalist at Wimbledon – he became the second person in history to have lifted 24 trophies at Majors. After Magaret Court, who had however signed 13 of his major successes before the start of the Open era. New exploits, almost trivialized on its scale, which have allowed the Belgrader to currently occupy the place of world number 1.
Currently 3,260 points ahead of his runner-up Carlos Alcaraz, he has made a soft mattress. The only problem is that it should settle down in the coming weeks. On the one hand because of his absence in Shanghai, but also because he won in Tel Aviv and Astana last year. Events he participated in to get back into rhythm after having to draw a line under the North American tour and the US Open due to his unvaccinated status, and where he is not expected to defend his points this year. At the end of 2022, he then reached the final at Paris-Bercy, before winning the Masters where Alcaraz was absent following his injury in the semi-final in the French capital.
…and aim for two new records
Nevertheless, Djokovic who, in addition to the love for his sport, also continues to “play to make history” as he tirelessly repeats, has some sources of motivation to remain the butt screw on the throne. In 2021, he became the first man to complete a seventh year as world number 1. At the end of the season, he could equal the record for men and women combined held by Steffi Graf and her eight-year crown on her head.
Another way of adding golden letters to the book of tennis, in the event of a seventh success at the Masters he would become, alone, the most sacred player with one unit more than Roger Federer. Enough to need to take an even deeper breath before listing an increasingly long list of achievements.
2023-09-20 19:18:58
#continue #history #Djokovic #big #goals #season #Tennis
