Novak Djokovic identifies the win that transformed his tennis career and calls it the ‘biggest turning point’

Not only that, but he is just one Grand Slam title away from moving ahead as the most decorated player in major history, currently tied level with Margaret Court.

However, such dominance did not occur by chance, and he inarguably had to work harder than most others just to make it onto the tour.

His story is one worth listening to, which he told part of recently.

Novak Djokovic names the turning point in his career

Speaking to Serbian outlet Neuspjeh Prvaka, Novak Djokovic sought to comb back through a wonderfully successful career in just a short space of time.

After all, given everything he’s accomplished, it would take far too long to laud all of the triumphs enjoyed across nearly two decades now.

That being said, it was not easy for the Serbian to break into the tennis elite, which he detailed on this show. Djokovic revealed the exact moment that turned him from a player who was threatening to compete into a genuine contender for every single title.

He claimed: ‘I felt what everyone feels when they win their first Grand Slam, without knowing what that feeling really means.

‘And that’s what it means to be a Grand Slam winner or be a defending Grand Slam champion for the first time.

‘It brings a lot of beautiful things, it’s a relief, you have dreamed about it your whole life.

‘But suddenly all eyes are on you and suddenly you are one of the main favourites wherever you play and whatever you do. This begins to create a certain kind of pressure – a type of pressure you have not faced before.

‘Suddenly I am no longer just attacking, now I am also defending. Before I was just attacking, winning, climbing. Now the expectations are if he doesn’t win the title it is a failure. You get a bit defensive and tighten up.’

Djokovic then outlined the fears that came with such pressure: ‘I didn’t win a Grand Slam for three years until 2011 [after his first one in 2008]. The second was the Australian Open. I changed my racket that year, I had an injury, I changed some team members, my serve mechanics were off. Searching, what, how, this and that. I went through a lot of difficulties and didn’t feel myself, I wasn’t grounded.

‘I was still ranked third, I still had a great career and good results but for the expectations and the visions that I wanted there was something missing and during those three years I was losing big matches until the moment I changed my habits, my diet and the way I recovered. I felt I had more strength and I solved problems with allergies and breathing which were causing me a lot of trouble on the court.’ 

And finally, he revealed the win that changed everything: ‘But the biggest turning point was winning the Davis Cup in Belgrade, in front of a full arena. It was magnificent. That’s probably something you only experience once, and it wasn’t just for me, that was for Janko, Viktor, Nenad, for all of us on the national team. That was a huge boost. We continued to have our best seasons after.

‘In 2011 I probably had my best season ever. 43 wins, for half a year I did not lose a single match, I won three Grand Slams, so that was definitely a springboard.’

Novak Djokovic chases his history-making 25th Grand Slam title

As noted earlier, Djokovic is just one Grand Slam title away from cementing his place as the undisputed greatest of all time.

However, even if Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both retired, there is a new wave of talent seeking to make names for themselves whilst denying him the pleasure of such success.

Male players with the most Grand Slam titles of all time

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have both played their part in thwarting the 38-year-old in the last few years, with the former having beaten him in back-to-back Wimbledon finals now.

It must be particularly difficult for the 24-time Grand Slam champion to recover whatever motivation he previously had, especially after Djokovic admitted that a part of him left tennis when Nadal retired.

If he truly wants to end any debates, he needs to recapture that burning desire for greatness to overcome the best that the new generation has to offer.