On December 10, local time in the United States, in the news program "60 Minutes" broadcast on CBS TV, Djokovic, winner of 24 Grand Slam men's singles titles, was interviewed by well-known sports journalist Jon Wattheim and shared his views on many issues. Through honest and frank answers to reporters' questions, the 36-year-old Serbian football king takes us into his inner world.
Djokovic infographic
In addition to the "precision-guided" hitting and extraordinary flexibility, the ability to perceive the opponent's weaknesses on the court and strike them in a targeted manner is also one of the secrets of Deyo's ability to "dominate" in tennis.
Talking about the mystery, Deyo elaborated: "Even though there is no physical contact in tennis, there is still a lot of eye contact when we switch sides, when we are seated. Then the big screen will show how he drinks water. I'm going to look at him, how does he drink water?Does he sweat more than usual?Is he taking a deep breath?I'll see how he communicates with his team. There are a lot of different factors at play and they can really affect the performance of the game. ”
This kind of "inner ability" is what sets Deyo apart. Compared to other players, Deyo's strength is not so much in his strength, speed or grace, but more in his mental toughness. However, Djokovic does not believe that this strength is innate, but that it has been developed through training, just like the serve, forehand and backhand.
"I may seem focused, but believe me, I'm in the middle of the storm and the toughest battles are always fought on the inside," Deyo said. You will have your own doubts and fears. I feel it every game. I don't like the mentality that is often seen in the world of sports, like just having positive thoughts, being optimistic, leaving no room for failure and doubt, and so on. It's impossible, you're still mortal after all. ”
I guess perhaps the difference between the greatest champions and those who struggle to reach the highest level is that the former doesn't stay in these (defeats and doubts) emotions for too long. For me, that's really going to be a short period of time. Once I've experienced something, I'll accept it. Maybe I'll be on the pitch and shouting about something, but after that I'll be able to ** come back and reset myself. ”
Speaking of which, Djokovic recalls the epic battle with Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon men's singles final. It was still a tiebreaker and Federer held two match points on his own serve. "Overall, if you look at the stats, he's a better player in every aspect. But I won the game. This tells you that if you are able to choose at which point of the game you play your best, you can still win. ”
Deyo's strong heart helped him "survive" in the 2019 Wimbledon men's singles final
In the early days of Deyo's career, he was unable to break through from the encirclement of the two "mountains" of Federer and Nadal, and he was the helpless "three virtues". Deyo admits that at that time, he also had "stage fright" before facing the duo's big match.
I was playing Nadal at Roland Garros and his locker was right next to mine, so we were close and we tried to give each other some space. But the locker room isn't that big either. Before we walk out of the dressing room, Nadal will do a sprint next to you. I could even hear him listening to ** in his headphones, which me off. Early in my career, I didn't realise it was part of the preparation, so I was intimidated by these things. But it also motivates me to prepare in my own way and prove that I'm ready to fight. ”
Deyo has now surpassed his rivals in tennis achievements, but he also realizes that he has never fully caught up with them in popularity. In this regard, Deyo admits: "If the audience is on the opposite side of you, then the pressure and tension will be greater. But if for most of my career, the environment was mostly hostile, I can say that I learned how to thrive in that environment. People thought that if they didn't like me, it might actually be better because it would bring out my full potential in tennis. Something like this does happen. But at the same time, I prefer an environment where I can be well supported. ”
Of course, Deyo is not a perfect person who is "likable" in all aspects, and he sometimes has emotional outbursts and venting behaviors on the field. "There's no doubt that I've smashed a racket in my life and I'm not proud of that," Deyo admitted. When I did, I was ashamed. But at the same time, I accept that I am a flawed human being. ”
At the beginning of 2022, Deyo was also deported from Australia because he was not vaccinated and received a "medical exemption" in advance. A series of public reactions afterwards gave him an experience that he had never had before. He believes that it was not only the tennis fans who did not support him, but most of the people in the world were against him at the time. Deyo also used the platform of the "60 Minutes" program to reiterate and clarify some key points: "I was exempted and I was allowed to enter this country. ”
People are trying to call me an anti-vaxxer. I'm not anti-vaxxer, I'm not pro-vaccine, I'm for freedom of choice. ”
Deyo was deported when he entered Australia in early 2022
Deyo is no stranger to such a "villain" narrative. But in reality, he is a "multi-faceted person" and in some ways he is very approachable. He won more prize money than any other player in history, but he still co-founded a players' union with the main aim of reducing the financial burden on ordinary players. Deyo describes his motivation for doing so as follows:
I do it because I already have a lot of it. I have so much more than I need. But for the 200 or so men and women who are out of the field, they are struggling. They couldn't afford coaching and traveling, they would skip the game, and many of them left tennis. They are very talented and may have the ability to achieve great success, but they just can't do it. ”
I can see this when I am in a high position, perhaps because Deyo comes from a small country like Serbia. When he returned to China with honors, he was warmly greeted by many fans of his motherland, and he was deeply moved. In a way, he is one of the country's leading figures. But Deyo says he has no political ambitions at the moment: "I don't think it's a circle where I can mix well, but I think my visibility in the country and in the region can be used in some other ways where I can contribute to society." ”
Specifically, Deyo has built or renovated more than 50 Serbian kindergartens through his and his wife Yelena's ** meeting, and the number is still growing. Deyo's own children (9-year-old Stefan and 6-year-old Tara) have also become the driving force in his tennis career**. "Actually, many years ago, I dreamed that my daughter and son would be able to see me win Wimbledon, and that has happened several times, and I'm lucky to be able to go through it," Deyo said. ”
However, Djokovic was not able to lift the trophy at Wimbledon this year, as 20-year-old Spanish phenom Alcaraz beat him in the Wimbledon men's singles final. Alcaraz is also the only player to do so at a Grand Slam this year.
On the one hand, Djokovic has generously admitted that Alcaraz is the most well-rounded player he has seen in years. On the other hand, Djokovic also believes that the presence of such a young challenger is also a spur for him to continue to prove himself in tennis.
After losing the 2023 Wimbledon final, Djokovic won the US Open
It [at Wimbledon] made me very angry, I needed to win everything on American soil, and I did. It's a great opportunity for me to reinvent myself and I'm going to work harder than ever. ”
It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time that Deyo has been a guest on "60 Minutes", he also appeared on this show in 2012. Now, 11 years later, the Serbian is still at the top of tennis.
Compiled by Yu Mi, Figure Visual China).