Novak Djokovic Opens Up About the Emotional Rollercoaster Behind Every Racket Break
As “a flawed human being,” Novak Djokovic acknowledges that he feels “ashamed” when he breaks his rackets. Even the most accomplished male tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion, occasionally loses his composure and vents his resentment on the tennis court.
“Look, you know that I have smashed rackets throughout my life (laughs)… Without a question. I’m not proud of that, either. Without a doubt, when I do it, I feel embarrassed of myself. However, I also acknowledge that I’m a fallible human being,” Djokovic stated on CBS News’ 60 Minutes.
Recently, Djokovic trampled on two of his rackets.
In the ATP Finals in Turin last month, Djokovic experienced a moment of losing his composure. In the third set of their group stage match in Turin, Djokovic was broken again by Holger Rune, and he stepped on two of his rackets.
Djokovic was successful in his subsequent victory, defeating Rune 7-6 (4) 6-7 (1) 6-3. Although Djokovic prevailed in the match, he later acknowledged that his behaviour wasn’t the ideal representation of what a player ought to do when playing. Some people advise me to be “pragmatic,” if you will, so that I can let go of whatever pent-up tension or aggravation I may have and go on. Perhaps this was the case tonight.
However, I would strongly advise against doing it. I don’t motivate myself either. I’m not content. It does not make me happy. Although I regret doing it, I can’t deny that I did it and I must accept responsibility for it.
Yes, I suppose there have been occasions in the past when I’ve done that and then returned to playing more freely—that is, simply letting go. After the match, Djokovic remarked, “There are different ways, maybe smarter ways, to let go of the frustration than breaking a racket.”