Novak Djokovic has revealed the secret behind his tremendous success at the Australian Open: hugging trees in the nearby Botanical Gardens.
The Serbian superstar is the red-hot favourite to win an 11th singles title here to equal the record held by Margaret Court – and overtake the Aussie legend with a 25th Grand Slam victory.
The world No.1 calls Melbourne Park “his favourite place” after claiming his first Major title here in 2008.
And Djokovic, who claimed “I’m not superstitious, went on to list the routine he follows in the Victorian capital.
“I do obviously like to visit certain places that have brought me luck and make me feel good,” he said.
“For example, the Botanical Gardens just nearby, it’s a wonderful park where I like to spend time and just be by myself in nature, just grounding, hugging trees, climbing trees and stuff. I love to do that. So I’ve done that for the last 15 years.
“Whether that’s the secret of success here in Australia or not, I don’t know, but it has definitely made me feel good!
“I like to obviously have a walk by the beach or jog if I can do that. I’ve been staying in different places. Mostly South Yarra. I like that more than the city because it’s a bit more quiet.
“Obviously during the Grand Slams you have lots of challenges, mental, physical, emotional. There’s a lot of activities happening even on the days when you don’t have matches. It’s good to have places where you can just rewind, relax, rejuvenate and kind of gather all the necessary energy for the next day.
“I like to isolate a bit more. In a place like New York, for example, I stay in New Jersey. I stay with my friend where I’m in complete nature, isolation. It just allows me to relax and recharge.
“I like that kind of balance because Grand Slams are completely different kind of energy, vibe tournaments than any other event that we have on the tour.”
Djokovic, 36, suffered a wrist injury at the United Cup earlier this month but he reported: “My wrist is good. I’ve been training well. Practice sessions pain-free so far. It’s good. It’s all looking good. Let’s see how it goes.
“It’s not as bad as some other injuries I had here. 2021 (stomach tear) and last year (hamstring) I had worse injuries that I had to deal with. So, yeah, I mean, I can’t predict whether it’s going to come back. Once I start playing more matches, stress levels go higher. I don’t know. We have to find out.”
The 10-time champion will begin his latest title defence against Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic in the first match of the evening session in the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. (8am UK time)
Djokovic won 27 out of 28 of his matches in the Majors last year with his only defeat coming in the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz.
This season he has a final attempt to win a golden Calendar Slam with the Paris Olympics at Roland Garros after Wimbledon.
“It’s no secret that I verbalise my goals and I say clearly that I want to win every slam that I participate and play on. It’s no different this year,” he said.
“I’m just hoping I can start the season in a way that I have been starting my seasons, most of my seasons, throughout my career: with a win here in Australia, in Melbourne. My favourite place, no doubt. The court where I’ve done great things and achieved my greatest Grand Slam results.
“I hope that I’m going to be able to, if not play at the level that I did last year, then be very close to that, because that was one of the best tennis levels that I’ve played, ever played, here in Australia last year.
“Let’s see how it goes. The season is so long. We have an Olympic year. Grand Slams, Olympics, those are the big goals. I have to see how it goes here and think about everything else when it comes around the corner.”
