Novak Djokovic is still going strong at the age of 38, having already achieved more success than most throughout his career.
Djokovic climbed to number one in the ATP rankings once upon a time, while he also sits top of the list for men’s Grand Slam titles.
His figure of 24 places him ahead of fellow legends Rafael Nadal (22) and Roger Federer (20), who have both retired from the sport.
Djokovic wants another major title, but has struggled in that regard lately, largely due to the presence of a handful of younger superstars.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have prevented the veteran from further Grand Slam success, but injuries have also played their part.
Novak Djokovic suggests why tennis players experience burnout
And he certainly isn’t the only player to have experienced such physical and indeed mental struggles in recent times.
Asked by Sport Klub journalist Sasa Ozmo why so many players feel burnout, the legendary figure offered three suggestions;
“1: The first thing that comes to mind is that social media is extremely present and largely dictates the mood and daily rhythm of an athlete – especially young ones, but older ones too. Everyone is on social media, and you can get lost there, get too attached to comments, to what someone types on a keyboard or phone… and that hurts. It’s not trivial. That’s something we need to talk about seriously.
“2. There are various other factors. The fact is, in my opinion, that kids are pushed too early into strict professionalism, before they’ve developed emotional intelligence, which is part of psychological preparation for life. When a talent is spotted, they push them professionally – just play, play, play – and then all sorts of agents latch on, those with interest in success, and they push the player to play as much as possible so they earn more. It’s a vicious circle, and if a player gets a bit lost in that, it can strongly affect their psyche and how they live their life.
“3. Tennis has the longest season of all global sports. For most who play the full schedule, it’s from January 1 to late November. Other sports have more competitions now too, but tennis is individual – there are no substitutes, no ‘I don’t feel good today, can you sub in for me for five minutes so I can rest’… Here, every point matters, every day matters. If you want to reach the highest heights, you have to transform your entire life in service of tennis and sport. You lose yourself, it’s too big of a bite for most.”
Novak Djokovic continues to defy logic amid Wimbledon withdrawals
Wimbledon is the latest tournament in the ATP and WTA calendars, with withdrawals from the Grand Slam perhaps epitomising the ruthless schedule.
Casper Ruud withdrew from Wimbledon due to injury, joining the likes of Kei Nishikori, Sebastian Korda and Alejandro Tabilo.
Ons Jabeur and Stefanos Tsitsipas meanwhile were among the players who started the tournament but retired hurt.
Despite his age and injury problems, Djokovic has once again defied logic at Wimbledon, and importantly doesn’t look like he is ready to walk away from tennis just yet.
He showed his true worth this time last year, when the Serbian reached a 10th final at the All England Club just five weeks after surgery on a torn meniscus.
Moreover, after suffering a disappointing defeat to Alcaraz, he exacted revenge by beating the Spaniard in the Paris Olympic final shortly after.
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