Novak Djokovic Admits to Feeling Lost Earlier in Career, Thanks Ivan Ljubicic for Guiding Him: “He Told Me Always to Be Myself”

Novak Djokovic is touring the United States to promote his Amazon Prime documentary, Novak Djokovic: The Wolf In Winter. And there, he recalled the days when he was a newcomer on the tour.

Djokovic turned pro in 2003 and won his first Major at the 2008 Australian Open. It was in 2011, he won three Majors except the French Open that was won by Rafael Nadal, that he became a World No.1 for the first time. Djokovic has surpassed both Roger Federer and Nadal in the Grand Slam titles tally, winning 24 of them.

But like many youngsters in the early stages of their careers, he was pretty clueless about many things about tennis.

I was a teenager, and I didn’t know anything. What strings to use, what racket, what kind of balance, how much weight the racket should have… I really didn’t know. I learned everything as I went along. Being a skinny kid from Serbia who had just arrived in the world of tennis, I was trying to find my way and earn my place.

Novak Djokovic told reporters (H/T: Punto de Break)

Because of this, Djokovic is grateful to Ivan Ljubicic for guiding him. Ljubicic, who coached Federer for nearly seven years and guided him to three of his 20 Grand Slam titles, never coached the Serb. Djokovic and Ljubicic (who was No.3 at that time) used to share a coach.

He (Ljubicic) took me under his wing. He helped and guided me throughout the entire process. He explained how to speak to the media and how to behave. The most important advice he gave me was to always be myself and stay authentic.

Novak Djokovic added

Djokovic was last seen in action in the semifinals of Wimbledon. Eventual champion Jannik Sinner, for the second consecutive time, beat him in straight sets. Djokovic hasn’t played the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters since winning the title in the latter event in 2023.

Novak Djokovic on the rivalry with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic lost to youngsters in the three Majors this year. He dashed Jannik Sinner’s hope of a three-peat of the Australian Open with a five-set win in the semifinals but ended up losing the final to Carlos Alcaraz.

Although Nole was two sets to love up against Joao Fonseca in the third round of the French Open, he couldn’t capitalize on his lead and crashed out. Then he suffered defeat at the hands of Sinner at SW19.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, during the Fanatics Fest in New York, appeared on The Shop alongside LeBron James, and there he said Sinner and Alcaraz remind him so much about himself and talked about the importance of forging rivalries with them.

So, it’s always finding new ways to motivate yourself, to inspire yourself to be better, and the rivalries are good. They’re important. So you got to always find someone in the crowd or someone on the court that is going to push you to be better.

Alcaraz has been on the sidelines since the Barcelona Open due to a wrist injury. He is set to return at the Cincinnati Masters. But Sinner’s name is on the entry list for the Canadian Open, and if he plays, he will be chasing his seventh title of the season.

The Italian is on a 34-match winning streak in the Masters 1000s. If he wins in the remaining four Masters 1000s, he will become the first man to reach the Golden Masters milestone. The Canadian Open starts on August 1.

Also read: Italian Tennis Icon Calls Jannik Sinner One of the ‘Best Servers in History’ After Wimbledon Title Defense