Novak Djokovic was not allowed to compete at this year’s Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic has opened up on his emotional state after he was not allowed to defend his Australian Open title earlier this year, as he was unvaccinated against COVID-19.
Djokovic was also not permitted to compete at Indian Wells and Miami due to his vaccination status. He is currently in action at the Madrid Masters after featuring at the Serbia Open in Belgrade.
The World No. 1 received a walkover from good friend Andy Murray in the third round in Madrid on Thursday to reach his third quarterfinal of the season.
In an interaction with Prakash Amritraj on the Tennis Channel, the Serb spoke about his mental state after returning from Australia:
“After coming back from Australia, I was underestimating the emotional state I was in. I thought, ‘I am out of Australia. It is what it is. What happened happened. I’m moving on.'”
Djokovic is renowned for his mental strength and resilience. However, the events in Australia were something he had never faced before and he didn’t know how to react.
“But then I did feel for the months to come that the emotional and mental traces of what was happening there were still there. I just felt that in the last few weeks, I started to get out of that a little bit. Move on. Transform that into fuel, positive energy. But it was the kind of circumstance or situation I had never faced in my life before.”
The Serb added that despite his experience on tour, he was not prepared for the ‘completely unexpected’ events in Australia, which took a toll on him:
“As many years I’ve been on the tour and as much experience as I have in the tennis eco-system, both on and off the court, being involved in the player council and politics and press. I consider myself experienced with different kinds of things that are part of my life. Still this was something that was completely unexpected. So it did take a toll on me, more mentally, emotionally than physically.”
Novak Djokovic continued:
“I felt I wasn’t myself… bit more nervous than usual… more of a defensive mode when I started to play officially. It took me a little bit of time to get through that.”
“You have to play more in order to feel better” – Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is into the last eight in Madrid.
Novak Djokovic has had a surreal start to his 2022 campaign. Making his season debut in Dubai, where he reached the quarterfinals, he then suffered a shock defeat in his Monte-Carlo Masters opener before making the Belgrade final.
Explaining his early setbacks, the Serb said:
“I was just trying to figure things out… going back to that optimal state of body, mind and soul and just approach the next tournament as any other. That was my mindset, but I realised that I needed to play official matches… to deal with that”.
He continued:
“It’s tough to explain. I don’t have any words for that particularly. There was that feeling that was holding me back a little bit, particularly in those first couple of tournaments… first few matches… I was kind of holding myself a little bit back.”
Novak Djokovic stated that trusting the process was key to getting his season back on track. He said:
“Life is a learning process. I have to be more patient and trust the process. Because of the circumstances, I played in Dubai and Monte Carlo. I was not close to my best. I was rusty on the court. I did not strike the ball as cleanly as I would like. Physically, also I did not have much in the tank.”
The Serb added:
“That frustrated me, and obviously the fact that I was looking to play a tournament after several months of break and then I get on the court, and I was not playing my best, which is, in a way, expected, because tennis is an individual sport, demanding sport. You have to play more in order to feel better.”
He said that he began to feel better in Belgrade and has arrived in Madrid in better mental and physical shape, adding:
“I feel that in Belgrade, toward the end of the tournament, things were coming better and better. Physically, not so much, but game-wise, yes. And then here, I’ve been feeling well. I had ten days before the tournament to prepare myself. Paid a lot of attention to stamina workouts, trying to work on my fitness and improve my shape on the tennis court as well.”
Novak Djokovic will take on Hubert Hurkacz on Friday for a place in the Madrid Masters semifinals.
