"Sometimes I do" - Novak Djokovic jokes about carrying goat's milk as his mystery drink so he can 'play like the GOAT'
Novak Djokovic had a funny take on the 'secret drink' chatter within the tennis world of late, joking that he produces 'goat milk' and carries it in his container so he can play like the 'GOAT.' The Serbian great once again dug deep into his physical energy reserves, beating Daniil Medvedev in an epic battle at the ATP Finals on Friday despite visibly struggling throughout.
Djokovic was seen gesturing towards his box and asking his team to prepare and send his special secret drink on more than one occasion during the match. The Serb prevailed 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) after battling it out with Medvedev for three hours and five minutes in his final round-robin stage match at the 2022 ATP Finals.
After the match, he was jokingly asked by former player Prakash Amritraj in his on-court interview with Tennis Channel whether he would confirm carrying 'goat milk' as his often-debated secret drink, to help him play like the 'GOAT.'
"Sometimes I do. I produce milk," Djokovic responded with a laugh.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion further reflected on his match against Medvedev, admitting that it was his toughest match this season in terms of physical struggles. During a changeover in the second set, the Serb's hands were shaking as he sat down on his chair and picked up a towel.
"I felt a lot of things and not the greatest things, to be honest," Djokovic expressed. "I was struggling a lot, I think the most that I struggled this year physically."
"I just wanted to win regardless of what's awaiting me tomorrow" - Novak Djokovic
After a three-hour-long battle, Novak Djokovic faces the challenge of regaining full fitness ahead of his 2022 ATP Finals semi-final against Taylor Fritz, scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The Serb said that he was not concerned about saving his energy for the semifinals and was only focused on winning against Daniil Medvedev. He also lauded Medvedev, highlighting that both he and the Russian star wanted to win despite coming into a dead rubber.
Djokovic had already qualified for the semifinals while Medvedev was eliminated from the tournament, ahead of Friday's match.
"What a battle! Medvedev is a great player, I have lots of respect for him. Tremendous effort from both of us considering that this match, for him and for me, did not make a big difference in terms of the format. We both wanted to win. He's one of my greatest rivals on tour, a huge quality player, and I just wanted to win regardless of what's awaiting me tomorrow," the Serb expressed.
While he has beaten Fritz on all five previous occasions, the two players have not faced off so far this season.