Fans hadn’t seen much of Novak Djokovic after his withdrawal from the 2024 ATP Finals until recently. The Serb was spotted trying a straddle split meditation on court during a practice session.
Djokovic is well known for prioritizing his fitness and diet and has been praised over the years for his mental toughness and flexibility on the court. Back in September, while representing Serbia in the Davis Cup, he told the press he was uncertain about participating in tournaments outside of Grand Slams and national team events, as he wanted to focus on his physical and mental health.
“My priorities are playing for the national team and grand slams, everything else is less important. Now I need a physical, mental, and emotional rest in order to decide what and how to proceed, how much and where,” Djokovic said.
Since then, he has only participated in the Shanghai Masters, where he reached the final before losing to World No.1 Jannik Sinner.
On Thursday, a video of the 37-year-old was shared on social media, showing him practicing yoga. He was captured doing a straddle split meditation at the center of the court during a practice session.
Watch here:
The Serb has won 37 out of 46 matches in 2024, with his most notable accomplishment being winning the men’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. In Grand Slams, Djokovic’s best performance was reaching the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic on why he does yoga
In an April 2018 interview with Amuse, Djokovic shared tips on enhancing personal well-being. He mentioned practicing meditation and yoga for mental peace and joy, which help him maintain a positive mindset.
“I do [meditation and yoga] out of a need to have an optimal state of mind and peace and calm, and at the same time happiness and joy. Everybody has their ways to reach that state of consciousness where you’re in a good mood and you feel love towards yourself, towards people around you, towards the planet,” Djokovic said
“So I try to be aligned with this kind of approach and mindset in life Because it was definitely not an easy period for me in the last seven to eight months. The results were not there in the big tournaments. But more than results, it was that lack of balance on the court emotionally,” he continued.
With Rafael Nadal set to retire at the 2024 Davis Cup, Novak Djokovic will be the last remaining member of the Big Three on the ATP Tour, as Roger Federer hung his racket in 2022.
