Novak Djokovic with his coach and director of Adria Tour 2020 second leg, Goran Ivanisevic, during a practice session in Zadar, Croatia. (Image Credits: Twitter)
Novak Djokovic won a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title at the recently concluded French Open – Goran Ivanisevic sheds light on his mentality.
Coach Goran Ivanisevic was all praise for Novak Djokovic following the Serbian’s incredible title-winning run at the French Open. Ivanisevic, who has been Djokovic’s coach in 2019, spoke about Djokovic’s elite mentality both on and off the court and during training sessions. Ivanisevic answered a number of questions from the media during the post-match press conference after the Roland Garros final.
Ivanisevic stressed on the fact that Djokovic is a perfectionist and he always finds something to improve in his game, everyday at the training sessions. “He chained us with handcuffs for three days”, joked Ivanisevic, explaining how serious Djokovic was about winning this title. He further added: “He’s not easy guy, let’s put it this way. He is not an easy guy. Especially when something’s not going his way.”
Ivanisevic also warned everyone else in the circuit that Djokovic is only getting better and he is not going to settle for 23 Grand Slams, no matter how big an achievement it is. “It’s fascinating to see, because sometimes you think, okay, now you have 23. But he’s gonna find, again, some kind of motivation to win 24, maybe 25, who knows where is the end”, exclaimed Ivanisevic.The coach-player duo of Ivanisevic and Djokovic have already bagged 8 Grand Slam titles and it’s clear that they are determined to win more.
Novak Djokovic is an all-time sporting legend and if there were any doubts previously, there shouldn’t be any more after his record-breaking title win at the French Open. Djokovic (23) now has won the most number of Grand Slam titles in the history of the sport – one more than his closest rival Rafael Nadal (22). He also holds the record of being No.1 in the ATP rankings for the longest duration of time. He won a record tenth Australian Open title in Melbourne earlier this year and is well on his way to winning a ‘Calendar Grand Slam’, with the Wimbledon and the US Open scheduled to take place later this year.
Djokovic has bagged 67 ‘Big Titles’ which includes Grand Slam titles, ATP finals, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and Olympic singles gold medals. As things stand currently, Djoker is seven ‘Big Titles’ clear of his biggest rivals – Nadal (59) and Federer (54). Earlier this year, Djokovic became the third-oldest man in the Open Era to triumph at the Australian Open, trailing only Ken Rosewall and Federer, who both accomplished the feat aged 36. With his victory against Tsitsipas in the championship clash, the Serbian also holds the record of winning 17 consecutive matches against Top 5 opponents at the tournament. Djokovic has still got a lot to offer to Tennis and it remains to be seen where he eventually finishes by the end of his career.
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