Novak Djokovic has talked about the severity of stomach bug that almost threatened his triumphant run at the Paris-Bercy title last week while explaining how he dealt with it.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion concluded another incredible run at the Paris Masters as he clinched a record-extending 7th title in the final Masters 1000 event of the season despite struggling with abdominal issues.
Djokovic first opened up about the disturbed stomach after his three-set victory against Tallon Griekspoor that came last Thursday as he after the match admitted: “It’s hard to have a clear mind when you spent more time on the toilet seat than on the court the last three days.
He added: “Just the energy levels were very low the last few days and I’m taking it day by day. Today is probably the worst day so I’m just hoping that tomorrow will be better, that the curve will start going in the right direction for me.”
His matches against Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune were not different but by Sunday he finally started to recover and it was clear by the look of him on court that he had got the problem fixed to a better extent as he beat Grigor Dimitrov comfortably in straight sets in the final.
Following the match the World No. 1 was asked by a journalist for some tips on getting rid of stomach troubles as his wife was struggling with the issue and the 36-year-old smiled and replied: ““I’m not a doctor so I’m unable to give medical advice.
“I guess, you know, everyone is different, but, you know, for me hydration is the key, I think, for anything, really. I can’t talk on behalf of your wife or anybody else, you know, what kind of diet helps or doesn’t help.
“You know, I couldn’t eat much really these days, so I probably would eat only once in a day, and then I wouldn’t eat anything. Just be on liquids, because anything that I, you know, would put in my mouth, it would go out very quickly (smiling).
“And then of course you feel dizzy, you feel dehydrated all the time. You feel weak.
“But I guess, you know, for a professional athlete, once you are out on the court, it’s basically very clear. Either you let the circumstances and the feelings that you have at that moment master you or you try to master them in a way. So there’s no in between.
“So you either fold, retire, or just, you know, kind of give away the match, or you try to draw the energy from the adrenaline that you’re feeling from the crowd, from the momentum that you’re feeling on the court.
“That’s what kind of helped me to have extra, I think, extra push, extra energy this week.
“I experience the stomach bugs like anybody else. Maybe for me it lasted shorter than for your wife, I’m not sure, but it was three, four days of big struggle. So Sunday was the first day that I have been actually feeling that it’s behind me.
“Sorry I couldn’t give any medicine advice or, you know, the cures. There is no cure, I guess (smiling).”