Celery, meditation and custom trainers – Djokovic’s recipe for Wimbledon success

It’s hard enough for any player to win Wimbledon, but Novak Djokovic makes it look so simple. Only seven different male players have tasted success since the turn of the century and the Serbian is one of them, except he is gunning to win a record eighth Wimbledon crown to extend his incredible winning run at SW19. Even Roger Federer has reason to fear his achievement of seven titles will be overshadowed as the seemingly unbeatable Djokovic looks set for glory again, leaving many to wonder just how he does it after continuing his indomitable 33-match winning streak.

The 36-year-old is into his 46th Grand Slam semi-final and faces the Italian starlet Jannik Sinner for a place in the final. If he beats the No 8 seed, it would mark the ninth Wimbledon final of his incredible career – and Andy Murray remains the only player to overcome him after his glorious triumph in 2013.

Among his vanquished opponents are Federer, Rafael Nadal, Matteo Berrettini, Nick Kyrgios and Kevin Anderson. Victory over Sinner would see Djokovic face a new foe in Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon, and there must be optimism he will overwhelm whoever he faces. As well as being superior on the court with 23 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic’s preparation and training routines are second to none.

Express Sport visited ASICS’ House of Tennis to speak to those in Djokovic’s inner circle and to gain a deep insight into the rigorous preparation that goes into turning the man from Belgrade into a Wimbledon icon.

Breakfast of champions

Djokovic has always stressed the need for a daily routine in his life to help him stay focused on winning: ”Routines are extremely important for every human being, because it’s in our biology that we are beings that like to be repetitive on a daily basis,” Djokovic said in a conversation with ASICS ambassador Alex Corretja, before adding: “Routines really give me peace of mind.”

For that reason, his breakfast regime – the most important meal of the day – rarely changes according to his personal chefs.

Novak starts the day with warm water and lemon, which offer plenty of benefits, before he enjoys celery juice mixed with apple and a green smoothie. The green smoothie contains all of the nutrients designed to give the body all of the anti-inflammatory goodness it needs, with a hint of mint to balance the acidic, unpleasant taste. As a willing taste tester, Express Sport can confirm it tastes delicious.

A bowl of superfoods follows next. Coconut yoghurt, granola, muesli, goji berries, pumpkin seeds and manuka honey, all blended into one bowl, before with the added sweetness of blueberries and strawberries provide those natural sugars. All of it is gluten and dairy-free, at the insistence of Djokovic. There will be similar snacks throughout the day to keep him nourished, and his slim frame and evergreen fitness levels owes much to his repetitive clean eating schedule.

“We always think about what’s going to happen, am I going to win or not. You go back and forth, but what is important is how quickly you go back. For me, conscious breathing is probably the one ingredient that is the most important.”

Meditation forms a critical part of controlling his temperament and after trying the exercises for 20 minutes myself, I feel the sense of calm sweeps across my chest and rises through to my head. Just by practicing breathing in a structured, focused way, you can escape from that particular moment – and it is possibly the most effective way that Djokovic manages to wrestle back control when things aren’t going his way.

Dr Brendan Stubbs, a renowned physiotherapist and mental wellbeing researcher, explains how key flashpoints in matches can be decided with momentary pauses for breathing and calmness: “If you want to succeed in tennis, you have to have a really sharp mind.

“Not much separates the top 200 players physically, but small amounts separate the top. With Novak, it’s his mental state, and his ability to control his mind. Every player is different. Some players can feed off a bit of anger and Novak, he gets stirred up a bit. But he can turn it into a good thing.

“The first stage is recognising and accepting things aren’t going well. And then having those techniques to break the trance, so that could be something physical like grasping their hands or breathing techniques, which is more soothing, or it could be squeezing a ball hard. It serves as a reminder to break them out of a trance, and then between games they can use those moments to reflect on the match.”

Fit for a king

Every top athlete needs the right equipment to succeed and, after working with ASICS’ shoe designers for the best of three years to construct the perfect shoe for him, Djokovic may have found the extra boost he needs to get the jump on his rivals.

The Court FF3 is regarded as the most advanced shoe to be released in recent years and it has the ultimate seal of approval from Djokovic, who worked closely with ASICS’ senior product manager Rene Zandbergen to create the ultimate shoe for the Serbian icon. It even has a custom ’23’ stitched onto the heel to celebrate his 23rd Grand Slam at the French Open, and they might need to make an amendment if he wins at Wimbledon.

“This shoe answers to the best part of both worlds, so you should be able to switch between baseline and all-court playing style,” Zandbergen said. “That helps us a lot in building the shoe. Novak is so experienced and knows so much detail, and also wants to know everything you are doing, which makes him fantastic to work with because you have discussions about certain elements. He will tell you about areas where it could be better, to have it more flexible or less, and for me that’s the best thing to work with. I’d rather know what is wrong with the shoe than what is good.

“More and more, every small detail becomes more important. It’s all about endurance, long games and five-setters, when I think get so tired they can barely walk anymore, at those times it’s so important that your footwear is working in the best way. We know the Court FF has seven or eight per cent less impact on the body while you’re playing. Imagine you’re playing for five hours, it can become such a big difference at the end in being able to reach balls or missing them.”

And that is something Djokovic wholeheartedly agrees with, which gives an insight into why he was so insistent on being a part of the process to construct the shoe.

“Every single thing matters and how you move how you feel with your shoes,” he said. “Racket and shoes are the two most important items that you can have as a tennis player. You need to be perfectly comfortable with what you’re wearing because it’s going to help you perform and move better.

“I’m really pleased with the final product. And actually, I’ve been talking to a lot of people and other players that have used my shoe and they are saying that it’s the best shoe that they’ve played in.”

From the mind right down to the comfort of his toes, Djokovic has covered every area in ensuring he is in the best shape to defend his crown. Only Sinner stands in his way of advancing towards the final on Sunday where he can prove, once again, that he is king of the grass court. But not without first chowing down his breakfast, sitting for a mindfulness session and lacing up his trusty footwear for the Friday’s match.

Novak Djokovic was speaking as an ASICS ambassador at the ASICS House of Tennis event before Wimbledon.