Over the years, Novak Djokovic has always been open about nurturing his wellness, wellbeing, health, and nutrition after adopting a strict gluten and dairy-free diet – something which he credits helped take him from the "brink of failure to the champion of the world".
The Serbian tennis champion, who is hoping to win his 8th Wimbledon Grand Slam, is so dedicated to his diet, he even published his meal plan in his book Serve to Win: The 14-Day Gluten-Free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence.
© ALBIN DURAND"Physically, I couldn't compete. Mentally I didn't feel like I belonged on the same court as the best players in the game," he wrote. "But then, lo and behold, I made some changes and that transformed everything."
During a pre-Wimbledon appearance at the ASICS House of Tennis, which was attended by HELLO!, Novak revealed the importance of his daily routine and how he stays present in the moment. The 36-year-old shared that "routines are extremely important for every human being, because it's in our biology that we are beings that like to be repetitive on a daily basis".
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© ALBIN DURANDNovak noted that for himself, "routines really give me peace of mind". Novak went on to discuss how his routine makes him "feel more confident in myself in that I've done everything I possibly could have done to prepare myself well for what's coming up".
He added: "It's important to balance it out sometimes, breaking that routine, just so that you play a game with your brain and grow new synapses in your brain."
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© ALBIN DURANDThe sports star continued: "I used to get a bit upset with myself if I didn't do something in my routine, I started to think about what I didn't do and think I wasn't good enough or that I was going to lose my match. But, over time, you grow out of that mentality, you learn from your mistakes and you move on at the end of the day. We're all human beings.
"We all make mistakes, and we are going to make another million of them until the last day of our lives. Again, it's just important to not be too hard on yourself. I learned that less is more sometimes." Novak, who is known as a tennis player with an incredible mental game, talked about the importance of mental resilience to aid your tennis game.
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© ALBIN DURAND"In individual sports in particular, you're by yourself on the court so you don't have anybody to rely on," he shared. "If things go south, you have no substitution. I feel that half of the work is already done before you step out on the court. If you fail to prepare, it's going to be a much more difficult mountain to climb on the court for you to actually succeed and win a tennis match. Tennis is not a sprint, it's a marathon as well.
"For one to understand that, you need to have a long-term and short-term strategy. For me, at this stage of my career, it's about titles. This allows me to sustain the level of pressure, tension and intensity, be it physical, mental or emotional, throughout the entire two weeks."
© Albin DurandNovak then went on to discuss the technique of conscious breathing in order to stay present on the court and retain his focus.
"One of the biggest lessons I've learned about mental strength is that if you lose your focus, you're not present, and things start to go the wrong way for you," he said. "That's fine, accept it, and then come back. How long you stay in that emotion is what differentiates you from others.
"We always think about what's going to happen, am I going to win or not? You go back and forth, but what is important is how quickly you go back. For me, conscious breathing is probably the one ingredient that is the most important."
This year, Novak has been wearing his customised shoes with '23' green numbering to mark his recent 23rd grand slam win in Paris.
