By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, July 8, 2023

A steely competitive spine and flexible frame are key components to longevity, says Novak Djokovic.

Stretching has extended his career, defending Wimbledon champion Djokovic said.

More: Ash Barty Gives Birth!

The 23-time Grand Slam champion cites his commitment to stretching and flexibility with his staying power at the top of the sport.

The reason you see Djokovic slid into contorionist splits on court is because he's trained to do it for years.

"I always have worked a lot on my flexibility, since a young age," Djokovic told the media after sweeping Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon. "I was taught this was extremely important because that's going to give me longevity. Focusing a lot and doing a lot on prevention."

The 36-year-old Serbian superstar said he's so committed to stretching, he trains for a few hours before even stepping on the practice court.

"Just before I get on the practice court, there's a lot of work that goes into it, a few hours of work before I actually get to the training court," Djokovic said. "That helps me. It helps extend my career. It helps me still compete at the highest level. It helps me prevent any - God forbid - injuries or anything like that.

"It's kind of if you see other players at that age and stage, it's kind of expected to have a major injury later in your career just because of the wear and tear of the body.

"Luckily for me, I've had only one significant injury that kept me out of the circuit for almost a year on and off with the surgery of the elbow. Other than that, there was some muscle tears and injuries, but generally I've kept healthy, considering the intensity of my career and the amount of matches I've played in the last 20 years."



The man who grew up on a mountain has also cited flexibility in his ankles from years of skiing as an asset on the tennis court.

Djokovic, who has played 1,271 career matches, will play 17th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz for a spot in the Wimbledon fourth round.

"He serves extremely powerful and good. He covers the court very well," Djokovic said of Hurkacz. "He has very long arms. When he comes to the net, he has a very good feeling at the net. He closes the net very well.

"He plays a lot of doubles as well. He's had some very good success in doubles. He's comfortable also to play from the back of the court defending. For a very tall guy he defends well, even slides. He comes in and covers the net very well.

"Just overall very complete player. I don't see too many holes in his game really."

Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport