Djokovic: ''I used to base all my happiness on winning a tennis match''

[RF-18]

''I try not to do that anymore''

2:14 into the vid.

Also he praised Ancic saying he was one of the most talented players he had seen and talking about his injury problems that troubled him.

His wimbledon pressconference. Interesting to hear this new approach and as he has grown older and won so much, he understands life is not just about tennis, it is about family and well being.

I still think though that this will not harm his chances of winning big titles in the future, his time will come again.

 

[tennisaddict]

Did Pepe teach him this ?

Guys at the top need to be relentless, always with a hunger, to continue to win big titles.

 

[fatsandrew7]

thanks for sharing this. i like nole and definitely appreciate seeing this maturity


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gary Duane]

Did Pepe teach him this ?

Guys at the top need to be relentless, always with a hunger, to continue to win big titles.

Absolutely, because winning a tennis match is more important than your wife, your kids, your family, your friends and that attitude leads to a long, happy life.

He's just learning what everyone else learns around the age of 30.

 

[newpball]

Absolutely, because winning a tennis match is more important than your wife, your kids, your family, your friends and that attitude leads to a long, happy life.

He's just learning what everyone else learns around the age of 30.

Bulls eye!

 

[tennisaddict]

Absolutely, because winning a tennis match is more important than your wife, your kids, your family, your friends and that attitude leads to a long, happy life.

He's just learning what everyone else learns around the age of 30.

These are once in a life time athletes, not your average joe working for the bi weekly paycheck who care about a personal-professional life balance.

For a professional ATG, success in profession is at the top , everything else will follow that. 30 is barely an age to say 'Not winning is ok, as long as my personal side is great' , which is the corollary of what Novak said.

He has the right to choose what he wants but the guys with killer instincts dont think that way,

 

[Gary Duane]

These are once in a life time athletes, not your average joe working for the bi weekly paycheck who care about a personal-professional life balance.

For a professional ATG, success in profession is at the top , everything else will follow that.

You might be surprised to find out what people like Federer think about what is really important. People change a lot when they hit 30 and get a bit older.

 

[tennisaddict]

You might be surprised to find out what people like Federer think about what is really important. People change a lot when they hit 30 and get a bit older.

Fed knows his kids would gain a lot relatively as opposed to their nomadic life if he chooses to retire . Why doesn't he do that with kids at age 8 ?

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

My dad always used to say starting a family is the beginning of the end for an athlete. Never believed him but the Federer / Djokovic / Murray 'decline' all have marriage + children in common. Definitely takes some of the edge off.

In conclusion, Rafael Nadal is the GOAT.

 

[Gary Duane]

Fed knows his kids would gain a lot relatively as opposed to their nomadic life if he chooses to retire . Why doesn't he do that with kids at age 8 ?

That's not the same as thinking that the most happiness comes from winning a tennis match.

Life is complicated.

 

[tennisaddict]

That's not the same as thinking that the most happiness comes from winning a tennis match.

Life is complicated.

That makes sense if you are talking about winning any R1/R2 match or Belgrade open.

But i read it as 'I used to base all my happiness on winning big titles' which is probably what someone of Novak's pedigree means.

 

[TMF]

Of course wife and family is more important than tennis. However, suggesting that he lost motivation/desire and tennis is less important has a lot to do with him not winning slam in the past year. Had he still dominating and is #1 in the world, he will be singing a different tune. The feeling is quite different between winning and losing.

 

[RickDeckard]

Djokovic is done. Big time!

 

[Newcomer]

My dad always used to say starting a family is the beginning of the end for an athlete. Never believed him but the Federer / Djokovic / Murray 'decline' all have marriage + children in common. Definitely takes some of the edge off.

In conclusion, Rafael Nadal is the GOAT.

And not only for them. For many other people too.

 

[Newcomer]

That's all stupid excuses. He will never say that his opponents played better than him. He never gives credit.

 

[Gary Duane]

Of course wife and family is more important than tennis. However, suggesting that he lost motivation/desire and tennis is less important has a lot to do with him not winning slam in the past year. Had he still dominating and is #1 in the world, he will be singing a different tune. The feeling is quite different between winning and losing.

There are two separate things going on here.

One is what top players really think.

The other is what they say.

Djokovic does not always have a very good filter, which makes it tough in this world where every word is recorded.

Fedal are very careful about what they say, most of the time.

Murray and Novak, not so much.

 

[Gary Duane]

My dad always used to say starting a family is the beginning of the end for an athlete. Never believed him but the Federer / Djokovic / Murray 'decline' all have marriage + children in common. Definitely takes some of the edge off.

In conclusion, Rafael Nadal is the GOAT.

There is a lot of truth to that. Fed is the outlier...

 

[BeatlesFan]

He's always articulate and well spoken in English. But he still looks extremely skinny to me. His face looks drawn.

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

There is a lot of truth to that. Fed is the outlier...

Definitely helps that Mirka herself is from a tennis background, so she understands the intricacies better than most I'd imagine.

 

[Mick]

i disagree with Djokovic's way of thinking. That is the way an amateur tennis player should think, not for a professional let alone one of the all-time greats.

 

[newpball]

...guys with killer instincts dont think that way,

Most of the guys with killer instincts are in jail!

 

[ScentOfDefeat]

Federer still does and that's why he's outdone all of them.

 

[RickDeckard]

Federer still does and that's why he's outdone all of them.

I don't think Federer has life outside tennis, tbh.

 

[Gazelle]

''I used to base all my happiness on winning a tennis match''

"I used to win tennis matches"

 

[Gazelle]

I don't think Federer has life outside tennis, tbh.

Federer is tennis

 

[VexlanderPrime]

Absolutely, because winning a tennis match is more important than your wife, your kids, your family, your friends and that attitude leads to a long, happy life.

He's just learning what everyone else learns around the age of 30.

^^^ Djoker's not wrong. Its just the conclusion isn't condusive to chasing any GOAT tennis achievements. Thats why its so hard to do past 30! Live keeps moving on.

 

[VexlanderPrime]

i disagree with Djokovic's way of thinking. That is the way an amateur tennis player should think, not for a professional let alone one of the all-time greats.

He's already done all that tho and HAD that tennis-obsessed mindset. At some point it ends. For everyone. This might be that point.

 

[Van Der Skljo]

The way I understood him is - if I lose, I won't come home unhappy or angry.
It's like a game (which tennis and every other sport should be), so if you lose a chess game against your rival, you won't be very upset about it through the rest of the day, week or month, if you are mature enough that is.

 

[RickDeckard]

Federer is tennis

Get back to me in 5 years time! Even fanboys like you will forget about the guy eventually. Tennis will move on, the fans will move on. No education, no interests outside tennis, probably he'll end up coaching some bum like Gulbis or Daniel Evans.

 

[VexlanderPrime]

Of course wife and family is more important than tennis. However, suggesting that he lost motivation/desire and tennis is less important has a lot to do with him not winning slam in the past year. Had he still dominating and is #1 in the world, he will be singing a different tune. The feeling is quite different between winning and losing.

eh, its no coincidence that he stopped practicing like a maniac immediately after FO'16. Its not like he just went from groundstroke master to a guy who forgot how to hit. He stopped practicing like he had his whole career. Year later, here we are.

 

[VexlanderPrime]

My dad always used to say starting a family is the beginning of the end for an athlete. Never believed him but the Federer / Djokovic / Murray 'decline' all have marriage + children in common. Definitely takes some of the edge off.

In conclusion, Rafael Nadal is the GOAT.

Hard to be the best in the world at something uber competitive without being completely immersed and obsessed with it. Wife and Kids don't translate well to that lifestyle.

 

[Sysyphus]

Well, Djokovic must have been a pretty happy guy for a while there then

 

[VexlanderPrime]

These are once in a life time athletes, not your average joe working for the bi weekly paycheck who care about a personal-professional life balance.

For a professional ATG, success in profession is at the top , everything else will follow that. 30 is barely an age to say 'Not winning is ok, as long as my personal side is great' , which is the corollary of what Novak said.

He has the right to choose what he wants but the guys with killer instincts dont think that way,

Life changes man. Clearly his mindset is not the same as it was pre-FO'16. Pre-2016 theres no dispute he was a mentally tough killer. Now he's more like a puppy

 

[RickDeckard]

Well, Djokovic must have been a pretty happy guy for a while there then

He had his share of happiness almost for a year now, alright. Lol

 

[thomasferrett]

Absolutely, because winning a tennis match is more important than your wife, your kids, your family, your friends and that attitude leads to a long, happy life.

He's just learning what everyone else learns around the age of 30.

Winning a tennis match IS (or should be) more important to a tennis player than his wife, and kids, and family, and friends. NOTHING else should matter apart from winning every match he plays, and training as hard as is physically possible without dying.

You don't understand that the best professional athletes are not psychologically normal people. They are singular minded, hellbent, psychotic individuals. If they could not channel their obsessive personalities into sport, they would all be serial killers.

You need that ruthless, crazy, inhuman psychotic obsessively driven mindset to be a good athlete.

 

[vladisimo]

That's all stupid excuses. He will never say that his opponents played better than him. He never gives credit.

you re clueless about djokovic then..

 

[Sysyphus]

You need that ruthless, crazy, inhuman psychotic obsessively driven mindset to be a good athlete.

Just gotta congratulate Novak on becoming a bit less "ruthless, crazy, inhuman psychotic" then, I suppose

 

[NBP]

His son was born Oct 2014 lol didn't stop him from winning everything for the next 20 months or so...

 

[icedevil0289]

You might be surprised to find out what people like Federer think about what is really important. People change a lot when they hit 30 and get a bit older.

anyone who thinks that fed's no.1 priority isnt his family are either haters, or just super fans imo who want fed to have the same mentality as he did when he was 25. he has said plenty of times that wife/kids are no.1 and if they ever said hang up the racket ,he would. but i dont get the comparisons between fed and his family and djokovic because they are both very different

 

[icedevil0289]

so saying that tennis isn't his no.1 anymore means he doesn't have that winning drive? these things are not freaking mutually exclusive. lmao y'all are dense. i didn't watch the video, but the summary didn't give me anything that hasn't been stated before. i'm sure once he steps on the court it is all about winning but he is talking about in his general life, that losing isn't the end of the world. and guess what, that's how it is for all the top athletes and probably makes a lot of sense for someone who has accomplished a great deal in his life like novak has.

 

[icedevil0289]

[QUOTE="Federer and Del Potro, post: 11353828, member: 332129"]My dad always used to say starting a family is the beginning of the end for an athlete. Never believed him but the Federer / Djokovic / Murray 'decline' all have marriage + children in common. Definitely takes some of the edge off.

In conclusion, Rafael Nadal is the GOAT.[/QUOTE]

does not that also have to do with age? i mean naturally that goes along with decline as well.

 

[MarcusInKensington]

Now his main source of happiness is sharing a candlelit bubble bath with Pepe, with some Kenny G playing on the radio.

 

[icedevil0289]

There are two separate things going on here.

One is what top players really think.

The other is what they say.

Djokovic does not always have a very good filter, which makes it tough in this world where every word is recorded.

Fedal are very careful about what they say, most of the time.

Murray and Novak, not so much.

what is so damn wrong with what he said anway? like i really dont get what is so wrong with saying life is not just about tennis. people are projecting way too much and its only because novak hasn't been playing all that well that people are up in arms about this. like the dude is 30 and guess what, at 30 players start to decline and novak has exerted so much energy the past few years to get to the top and maintain his no.1 ranking so that also has a play. he says that tennis isnt the end/all be all and suddenly these fans start moping that he has lost his killer instinct. rofl, bunch of selfish fans if you ask me.

also in regards to novak since i've seen this way too much it will always bug me how many people seem to think that wives/children are burden to a man's career. like it is so so so telling when people think like that but not surprised given who makes up most of the sports audience.

 

[icedevil0289]

Life changes man. Clearly his mindset is not the same as it was pre-FO'16. Pre-2016 theres no dispute he was a mentally tough killer. Now he's more like a puppy

wouldn't you also say that there is a natural progression with athletes more corresponding to age. who actually thought that novak would spend his time at the top the way he did from 2011-2015? i dont get it. these comments are so damn dense

 

[Goosehead]

Now his main source of happiness is sharing a candlelit bubble bath with Pepe, with some Kenny G playing on the radio.

lulz.

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

[QUOTE="Federer and Del Potro, post: 11353828, member: 332129"]My dad always used to say starting a family is the beginning of the end for an athlete. Never believed him but the Federer / Djokovic / Murray 'decline' all have marriage + children in common. Definitely takes some of the edge off.

In conclusion, Rafael Nadal is the GOAT.

does not that also have to do with age? i mean naturally that goes along with decline as well.[/QUOTE]

Yes it's a factor, for sure.

 

[icedevil0289]

The way I understood him is - if I lose, I won't come home unhappy or angry.
It's like a game (which tennis and every other sport should be), so if you lose a chess game against your rival, you won't be very upset about it through the rest of the day, week or month, if you are mature enough that is.

mte, people are being obtuse.

 

[icedevil0289]

Winning a tennis match IS (or should be) more important to a tennis player than his wife, and kids, and family, and friends. NOTHING else should matter apart from winning every match he plays, and training as hard as is physically possible without dying.

You don't understand that the best professional athletes are not psychologically normal people. They are singular minded, hellbent, psychotic individuals. If they could not channel their obsessive personalities into sport, they would all be serial killers.

You need that ruthless, crazy, inhuman psychotic obsessively driven mindset to be a good athlete.

you must be an amazing athlete then because your post exemplifies all those characteristics. jfc

 

[icedevil0289]

His son was born Oct 2014 lol didn't stop him from winning everything for the next 20 months or so...

lmao fans are something else. family is an asset as long as my favorite is winning, suddenly its a burden and he needs to put them as no.2 behind tennis so he can start winning again. all i know is novak deserves better fans than half the people commenting here

 

[TennisATP]

The thing is the life span of a tennis player isn't long, so Novak has his whole life to spend with his family and do what he wants, but he still has only a few years left on the tour. So why not give your best and aim to win? Otherwise if he doesn't give it to his best shot and try to go for the records he might regret it later on.