"It's working for Novak Djokovic, he's got the stamina, fitness and energy" - Martina Navratilova on Serb finding 'magic potion' with plant-based diet
Martina Navratilova has shared her thoughts on Novak Djokovic's plant-based diet, drawing from her own experiences with following a similar meal plan.
Djokovic is known for his disciplined approach to his diet, carefully monitoring his food intake. While the Serb primarily adheres to a plant-based and gluten-free diet, he reportedly incorporates fish or chicken in his meals to ensure an adequate protein intake.
Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Martina Navratilova opened up about her experience as a vegetarian while on tour, highlighting the challenges she faced with her energy levels due to insufficient protein intake.
As such, she expressed a lack of surprise at Djokovic indulging in certain animal proteins to meet the necessary nutrient requirements.
"I've gone through some iterations of a similar situation. I was a vegetarian for seven years and I had a hard time finding the energy at the end," she said.
"So, I'm not surprised that he [Novak Djokovic] is eating sometimes fish, and I think chicken, maybe not, but fish just to get the protein. It's really hard to get enough protein with just plant-based diet as an athlete but Edwin Moses did it pretty well for a number of years," she added.
Navratilova further said that athletes form their diet plans through experimentation until they discover what suits them best. She believes that Djokovic has found his "magic potion," as evident in his exceptional fitness, stamina, and energy.
"So it depends on everybody, so you experiment, whatever works for you and it's working for him, obviously. He's got the stamina, he's got the fitness, he's not been injured and he's got the energy. Once you find that magic potion, you stick with it until it doesn't work. Then you figure out something else to do," she explained.
"I remember Martina Navratilova being the first player that was trying all these different things, but Novak Djokovic is taking it to another level" - Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Davenport, who joined Martina Navratilova on the Tennis Channel, acknowledged the 18-time Grand Slam champion as a trailblazer in experimenting with her diet. However, the American stated that Novak Djokovic had taken things to an unprecedented level.
"I remember Martina being the first player that I heard about that was trying all these different things, just trying to get the best out of herself but I think Novak, obviously, is taking it to a whole another level. Given his age, given how incredibly fit he is, how he doesn't get tired out there," she said (at 1:12).
Davenport emphasized the importance of players prioritizing their fitness, recovery, and nutrition in order to achieve success, reiterating her admiration for the World No. 1's effective management of these aspects.
"I think, the thing that happened in the last 15 years or so, is this generation there's no stone left unturned. If it's recovery, if it's nutrition, if it's training, all 24 hours of the day are dedicated to it," she said.
"If you want to be at the very top, if you want to be breaking records, if you want to get to this level, you can't afford a slip in any category and I think Novak took that to a whole different level than we've ever seen," she added.
Currently competing at the 2024 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic kicked off his title defense with a thrilling 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dino Prizmic.
He will next take on Alexei Popyrin in the second round on Wednesday, January 17.