Novak Djokovic has been all business in New York at the 2023 US Open, which makes the whole experience not particularly fun but increases chances of winning.
Playing sports might seem fun while watching it from the couch, but doing it is far less fun. Sure, some players like Carlos Alcaraz seem to be enjoying every moment on the court, and while veterans like Djokovic do too, it's far more complicated than that.
Djokovic is in New York to try and win, so he's basically approaching it as a job. Jobs can be fun, but the amount of pressure and stress that come with his type of job makes the whole experience less fun even though he tries to enjoy it.
I mean, I'm trying to enjoy the moments on the court, but there is so much stress and pressure going on that it's hard to have fun, so to say, on the court. It's really about finding a way to navigate through the match and win a tennis match for me, you know.
Even though he approaches it as a job, the Serbian still enjoys aspects of tennis life; otherwise, he wouldn't do it. He tends to have a lot of fun off the course, enjoying the experience of travelling and meeting new people because he needs that balance.
You can't just operate in that serious attitude all the time; you need to have some fun because balance is the key to everything. He's advocated that for years, and he lives by it.
But off the court, in terms of the actual journey of still being a professional tennis player and going around the world, traveling with my coaching team, you know, we try to keep things light off the court and have fun and enjoy life, because in the end of the day, you have to find that optimal balance.