Novak Djokovic has reflected back on a turning point in his career that prepared him to have faith in him and believe that he can prevail against greatest rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion quoted Serbia’s Davis Cup 2010 glory as a moment that activated the real beast in him.
Djokovic claimed his maiden major title at 2008 Australian Open and had to wait three years to gather a second Grand Slam title at the same tourney in 2011. Prior to Djokovic’s dominant 2011 season, Federer and Nadal had already sealed 16 and 9 GS crowns as they shared 21 of previous 23 big titles between them.
The 37-year-old is seeking to win a record-tying 8th Wimbledon title (with Federer) while also extending his major haul to 25 titles. Following his R4 win against Dane Holger Rune, Djokovic looked back on winning his maiden Slam title while also highlighting the significance of Davis Cup triumph that heavily impacted the future course of his career.
“It was back in 2008, I won Australian Open, that was my first Grand Slam title and, obviously, the first Grand Slam title is always the most special one. It was breaking the ice for me in a way,” the Serb said in a press conference.
“But it took me another three years to win a second one. So, I did struggle those three years to understand, to see what it takes to win against, particularly Nadal and Federer — they were dominating the sport and the game and winning basically all the Grand Slams at that point.
“But I learned the hard way I guess, through the rivalries with these two guys. Was basically improving my game, bettering myself also on the court mentally I think, really maturing, evolving as a person and as a player. And getting stronger as the time was passing by.
“And there were some key moments in my career that served as a great trigger in a positive way. For example, the Davis Cup title with Serbia [at the] end of 2010 was a huge momentum for me.
“I felt wind in my back, I felt like I had wings after that because bringing the first Davis Cup to Serbia ever was something extremely special in front of our crowd in Belgrade.
“After that, I probably had one of, if not the best season of my life [in 2011], won 40 plus matches in a row, three Slams out of four.
“That’s where I really became a different player, I would say. It’s when I started believing that I deserved to be on the top and that I can be better than Federer or Nadal.”