Novak Djokovic's rise to the top of men's tennis is a story of grit and desire, filled with sacrifices.
Some of those sacrifices included being very selective about what he ingested into his body. He has also been very calculated about using his time. For instance, he rejected an offer to endorse a video game because he "repudiated" it.
Djokovic's self-discipline and self-drive laid the blueprint for achieving the success he has been blessed to have at this stage of his career. He has won the most Grand Slams of any tennis player (24) and recently notched his 400th match win at Masters level.
During an interview on Tennis Channel, the 36-year-old spoke about his objective of embracing a gregarious and outgoing personality just so he can reconcile his competitive spirit and off-court activities.
"It's a good question because I try to balance things out. Meaning, there's a part of me that is a fierce competitor that wants to win every single match, every single tournament, and you know, I have to do my chores, respect the routine, be disciplined, and still have the drive."
"But at the same time, I am also trying to enjoy myself a bit more and pay attention to off-court activities, people, and things that I haven't had a chance in almost 20 years to do really."
Djokovic is competing at the Indian Wells tournament for the first time since 2019. He traveled to the United States a few weeks in advance just to immerse himself in social life and shed the mundane "robotic" persona.
He took part in various off-court activities not related to tennis, like watching a football game with his nine-year-old son Stefan. He also caught up with Serbian basketball player Nikola Jokic. Djokovic also played soccer on the lawns with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
"I mean, I'm still trying to find a balance because I've been kind of very robotic about things for the last almost 20 years, and yeah, I'm just trying to enjoy myself."
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