By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, October 10, 2016
Three-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic discusses finding his passion and purpose in his return to the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
Photo credit: Shanghai Rolex Masters
Shanghai fans relished a major reunion as Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka played practice points ahead of the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
Last month, Wawrinka dethroned Djokovic on the biggest Grand Slam stage in the world to capture his first US Open championship.
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Since that New York night, both men admitted facing major stress tests competing for Grand Slam silverware.
The 31-year-old Wawrinka suffered an anxiety attack and was crying and shaking before walking out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The world No. 1's revelation was even more jarring.
Emotionally exhausted after winning Roland Garros to complete the career Grand Slam, Djokovic said he suffered a malaise and no longer regarded retaining the top spot and winning majors as a priority.
"Maybe I was exhausted mentally and emotionally," Djokovic said. "I didn’t know actually how I’m going to react after winning French Open because it was very emotional. I was obviously very content, but on the other hand I was also very exhausted and I needed some time to recover, to regroup."
After facing his US Open conqueror on the practice court, Djokovic confronted questions about his emotional state and desire with candor in Shanghai.
"Look, I understand that people have different perception of what I say, and of course you can look at it from different angles and perspectives and say, you know, I’m doing that just to release the pressure, I’m doing that because of this and that, but, you know, I’m honest and I say what I feel," Djokovic told the media in Shanghai. "And at this moment I sincerely feel that that’s something that I should take care of.
"I was saying many times before — it’s not the first time that I say I play tennis because I really enjoy it and because it gives me that happiness on the court, holding the racquet and playing because it’s a game you play. But if I don’t have that feeling and if I put too much, not just myself but people around, you know, and if you put too much stress and expectations and so forth and then you start to lose that balance, and balance is everything in life. So I try to, as I said, you know, find that optimal state of mind and balance which gives me that joy."
Searching for the joy of play should be more comfortable at the Asian Masters.
The three-time Shanghai Rolex Masters champion, who has won 38 of his last 39 matches in China, should be motivated playing for his fifth Masters crown of the season in his first tournament since the US Open.
Djokovic, who won his 66th career title at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, opens against Fabio Fognini in Shanghai.
The challenge for Djokovic is finding a balance between fueling the competitive fire between the lines, without letting the competitive flames burn into his personal life.
"Look, I don’t know what future brings. That’s not in my hands, and I cannot — the only way I can predict the future is to create the future," Djokovic said. "I try to create a future for myself being in the present moment. I don’t try to think what has happened before or what’s coming later on. I believe that in this very moment this kind of thinking and mindset is the best for me.
"When I said I’m not interested only in winning and lifting trophies, that doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in that at all. Of course when I get on the court I will do my best to win the match, as there is no change in that. But the shift of, I would say, the priority and the mindset towards tennis, career, towards my life, it’s different. You know, it’s different now."
Djokovic says reconnecting with his passion and playing with a new mentality are his primary goals.
Collecting seven titles this season, Djokovic still holds a 3,695-point lead over second-ranked Andy Murray in the rankings.
Rather than looking in the rear-view mirror at his pursuers, Djokovic is attempting a psychological reset imagining himself even with the pack and going head-to-head with his friend Wawrinka on the practice court.
"From this moment on, I’m equal with everybody even though the rankings show that I’m No. 1," Djokovic said. "That’s great. I’m happy for that. But as I said, you know, I’m starting with this kind of mindset and belief that this is something that will bring me back that intrinsic feeling of belonging to the court and having that inner joy while playing, and that’s the only thing that changes. So basically my mentality, my mindset changes. Not my, you know, I don’t know how to call it, a lifestyle."
The question is: Can mentally reconfiguring the field in his mind yield an emotional jump start on court?