Novak Djokovic has managed to compete at the highest level for a much longer time than most of his colleagues and it is no coincidence that he has achieved this feat. The former world number 1 has always had an obsessive care for his body and has done everything possible to preserve it, as well as having innate qualities that have allowed him to become one of the best athletes ever.
Although he is 38 years old and no longer in his 'prime', the Serbian legend has nevertheless achieved amazing results in 2025 considering that he became the oldest player ever to reach at least the semifinals in the four Grand Slam tournaments within the same season.
As if that were not enough, the veteran from Belgrade also won two titles (in Geneva and Athens respectively) and occupied third place in the ATP Race for a period despite his schedule being really reduced.
The secret of Nole's motivation
The 24-time Grand Slam champion missed out on the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin for the second year in a row and ended his year lifting the trophy in Athens, at the end of a thrilling final against Italian star Lorenzo Musetti. In addition, Nole has shown that he still wants to compete and will certainly be a protagonist in 2026.
In a long interview with Jacopo Lo Monaco on the latest episode of his podcast, Marco Panichi Novak's former fitness coach explained in detail how the Serbian legend finds the right motivation: "You have to have a huge personality if you want to compete at the highest level for a long time. Djokovic has always needed this warrior attitude, he needed it to give his best on the court.
When he didn't look his best shape during the warm-up, we in his team took turns sacrificing ourselves and saying phrases to him that were able to ignite the fire inside him. When Nole got mad at him, he never went over the edge and always apologized in the locker room."
