'There was a smash Novak Djokovic landed on my back', says ATP star

There is no athlete on the planet who also handles pressure like Novak Djokovic. That's clear. Beyond his tennis conditions, today the Serbian tennis player bases a large part of his success on mental strength. In that section, he is at least two steps above the rest, including his Big-3 teammates. Precisely within his participation in the Tokyo Olympic Games, where the psychological issue has taken a leading role in the press conferences after the case of the American gymnast Simone Biles, “Nole” gave his opinion with a touch of his own, " Obviously I am not going to say that I am capable of isolating myself from all the media noise that exists around me and my chances of winning in this Olympic event. I see it, I hear it, I perceive it and I know it is there, but over time I have learned to develop emotional management mechanisms that allow me to see all of this as something positive, and not as something that can destroy me”, acknowledged the leader of the ATP. “I feel that pressure is a privilege and that without it professional sports would not exist. Those of us who want to be at the top must learn to deal with it, both on and off the court, "added the 20-time Grand Slams winner who is seeking his Olympic gold. And yes, if someone is under pressure with victory as the only possible result of him, that is precisely Novak Djokovic. Do you agree with the Serbian's appreciation of a very complex subject?

Marcelo Melo on Novak Djokovic

Serbian duo Novak Djokovic and Nina Stojanovic made a winning start to their mixed doubles campaign at the 2021 Olympics on Wednesday. Djokovic and Stojanovic beat Brazilian pair Marcelo Melo and Luisa Stefani 6-3, 6-4 to move into the quarterfinals. "(Novak Djokovic's gestures) left a negative impression on me, to be quite honest," Marcelo Melo said. "Two days ago he made a video talking about Brazil, about the energy of Brazil and today he plays that way. There was a smash he landed on my back that wasn't necessary. Anyway, it's a tennis match, everyone tries to play the way they want, I would never do that." The video Melo is referring to is linked below, where Djokovic can be heard comparing the atmosphere in the Olympic Village to that found in Brazil. "Looks like Brazilian energy (atmosphere at the Games), Brazilian people have this kind of charismatic, very nice energy," Djokovic said. "So, I am very happy to be part of the Olympic Games. I love being surrounded by athletes. It's a lot of fun to interact, you know speak about sports speak about life."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3y98fi6