"It was Novak Djokovic's dad who said 95% of tennis is in the mind" - Author of Serb's biography on his efforts to strengthen his mental fortitude
Mark Hodgkinson, author of Novak Djokovic's biography, recently talked about the Serb's efforts to enhance his mental strength. Hodgkinson's book, 'Novak: The Man Behind the Enigma,' was published last month.
Hodgkinson's book is based on interviews he conducted with individuals close to Djokovic, including his friends, mentors, former coaches, and more. He explored the former World No.1's personal life and playing career in depth.
Recently during an interview with Tennis Majors, Hodgkinson revealed where Novak Djokovic draws his mental resilience from. He explained that the Serb's mental strength is a result of his dedication to working on his mind as much as he does on his physical conditioning.
"I think on the mental side, his strength comes from the fact that he’s worked very, very hard on this. Lots of people say to him, “you were born with this“. But actually he dedicates as much time, as much effort working on his mind as working on his body," Hodgkinson said.
The author shared that Djokovic's father Srdjan had expressed that the majority of tennis is played in his mind, which is then reflected on the court.
"Novak has put as much work into that as he has into the technical stuff on his body. I think it was his dad who said 95 percent of tennis is in the mind," he added.
Mark Hodgkinson also stated that what sets the 24-time Grand Slam champion apart from other players is the latter's superior mental toughness, which has in turn contributed to his success in securing more Grand Slam titles than any other player.
"If he goes to the practice courts of a professional tournament, everyone can hit a forehand, everyone can hit a backhand. Everyone can hit a serve. So the thing that separates you is in your mind. So if you’ve got a stronger mind, you’re going to win more Grand Slams than anyone else," Mark Hodgkinson said.
"It’s the mind that really makes Novak Djokovic stand out" - Author Mark Hodgkinson
In the aforementioned interview, Mark Hodgkinson stated that Novak Djokovic's mental prowess and his "fascinating mind" set him apart from other players in the world of tennis. He expressed that the former World No.1 possesses the "most original" mind in tennis, and possibly in all of sports.
"Novak has got that sort of amazing technical ability and he works on his body. But I think it’s the mind that really makes him stand out. I feel like he has such a fascinating mind . Probably the most original mind, certainly in tennis and maybe across all sports," Hodgkinson said
Hodgkinson said that the 24-time Grand Slam champion takes pleasure in approaching the game differently, a strategy that has proven to be highly "successful" for him.
"Novak is always very happy to do things differently. He’s very happy to do that. Even if at certain times people have commented on that or even criticised him, that hasn’t stopped him. I think he’s realised that doing things in a different way has been very successful for him," he added.
Most recently, Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to win the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This was the second medal he won at the Games, with his first one, a bronze, coming at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after he defeated James Blake.