“Whoever says I have no fear is lying,” Novak Djokovic opens up on how he tackles the feeling of fear on the court

Novak Djokovic expressed his fears, saying that every single athlete at the highest level is bound to be afraid.


“Whoever says I have no fear is lying,” Novak Djokovic opens up on how he tackles the feeling of fear on the court

Novak Djokovic in action during a match. (credits: New York Post)

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has completely upped the level of his performance this year by a great margin, leaving the rest of the world with a mountain of a task to climb on. ‘

The Serbian has not only made it to the finals of all the Grand Slams this year but has also won two major Masters 1000 titles this year. In a recent interview with 60 Minutes‘s moderator Jon Wertheim, he looked back on the darkest and biggest achievements in the past few years of his career. 

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When Wertheim asked if he fears losing whenever he gets on the tennis court, Djokovic instantly agreed that he felt the fear. Nole expressed his fears, saying that every single athlete at the highest level is bound to fear.

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He also stressed the fact that every single human being must have that slight doubt and feeling of negativity in his mind, and being able to tackle that effectively is what makes great players stand out among the rest. 

Yeah. I’m sure that every athlete on a high level can relate. You know, you have your doubts and fears. And whoever says, “I have no fear,” he’s lying. I feel it every single match. So it’s normal to experience doubts and fears. It’s normal to be negative, to be stressed, to be pessimistic in your head. I don’t like this kind of a mindset that I see a lot in sports.
Novak said

Novak Djokovic shares that he fears even more despite reaching the absolute top:

Novak Djokovic has leapfrogged every single male tennis player in terms of Grand Slam glory, and Wertheim asked him about his future plans after having landed the 24th Slam. 

I fear to lose a match. I fear to maybe let myself down. I fear to let my coach down. I fear I doubt that I can deliver the game that everyone expects me to deliver, right? And there are fans that came, maybe the first and only time they’re gonna watch you.
Djokovic said
Novak Djokovic in action after winning a match. (credits: Newsclick.in)

Djokovic shared how expectations from him keep on rising with every single great year from now on. He talked about his fears of letting himself and his team down and also expressed a fair amount of worry about his supporters.

The pressures keep piling up on him; he feels that he just cannot walk into the court without any fear after being one of the best players in the sport. 

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