Novak Djokovic, the celebrated tennis player, recently divulged his secret to breaking his two-month-long losing streak. He credits a series of significant dialogues he had with fellow tennis legend, Andy Murray, over a span of nearly two weeks, as the catalyst for his victory at the Miami Open.
Djokovic, currently ranked world No. 5, clinched his first match win in sixty days by defeating Rinky Hijikata with a score of 6-0 7-6(1) last Friday. This triumphant win followed a disheartening early departure from the Indian Wells tournament earlier in March.
Djokovic and his team, including Murray, spent the subsequent fortnight meticulously strategizing to stage a comeback at the Miami Open, a tournament Djokovic was participating in for the first time in half a decade. The Serbian player had not tasted victory since his match against Carlos Alcaraz in Australia two months prior, which led to a cloud of uncertainty hovering over his performance at the Miami Open, his first appearance since 2019.
However, Djokovic silenced the skeptics by delivering “almost flawless tennis” during his match against Hijikata. He won the first seven games effortlessly before his Australian opponent upped his game in the second set. The performance was a stark shift from his outing at Indian Wells, where he suffered an early defeat against Botic van de Zandschulp.
In his time away from the competitive arena, Djokovic had a revealing discussion with Murray, which helped him regain his confidence after a period of self-doubt. The 24-time Major winner shared insights from these conversations with Sky Sports.
“I was spending a lot of time actually with my team and training and really talking about the game and what needs to be done, not only from a tennis perspective but also mentally and emotionally,” Djokovic said. He emphasised the importance of focusing on key aspects of the game during matches and the need to work on mental and emotional readiness on the practice court.
Djokovic admitted to having doubts about his game post the Australian tournament. “I didn’t have a great match, I did lose to Berrettini in Doha encounter, he was playing great,” he confessed. He also termed his performance at Indian Wells as “really poor.” The subsequent two-week break provided him with ample time to work on his game and stage a notable comeback.
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