Novak Djokovic reveals what ‘feeds his soul’ as he responds to contentious popularity question

Novak Djokovic’s relationship with tennis spectators around the world has not always been entirely positive, but the world No 1 insists he uses the interactions with fans as ‘fuel’ in the heat of battle.

Despite his incredible success, Djokovic has been forced to deal with plenty of negativity from fans around the world, with his great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal winning the popularity battle in battles that have defined the greatest era in the history of men’s tennis.

Djokovic admits the negativity from tennis fans and the jeers he has received from spectators have been a source of frustration during his career, but he has dealt with the issue differently in recent years as he has consistently cupped his hand to his ear to suggest he is answering their negativity with his performances on the court.

Now Djokovic has opened up on how he is inspired by any kind of interaction with spectators, as he started his response to this question with a smile on his face.

“I was fortunate to play so many matches in my life where I have experienced positive and negative experiences on the court with fans,” said Djokovic.

“And, yeah, I try to stick to the kind of things and routines and maybe movements or thought process that I have on the court that makes me feel centred and present and able to focus or refocus or perform well.

“At times atmosphere really gets to you, in a good or bad way. So then you use it as a fuel, and you connect maybe with a specific person.

“Those types of moments are really something that stays with these people forever, but they also feed our soul.

“It makes us feel great and very grateful and appreciative of the fact that they paid tickets to come and watch you and support you.

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“So good or bad, in the end of the day, we are all there to celebrate a sport, and tennis players, this tournament.

“When it’s all said and done, I do really appreciate everyone who is contributing to the tennis ecosystem.

“Of course, I always want to be on a more positive note or positive side of the cheering coming from the stands.”

Djokovic also revealed what personal qualities he has required to remain at the top of the game for so long, as he suggested an ability to bounce back from disappointment has helped him to win 24 Grand Slam titles and spend more weeks as world No 1 than any player in the history of the game.

“It (tennis) has definitely made me more resilient, I think, just for everything else in life, really,” added the Serbian.

“Competing at the highest level for 20 years has allowed me to tap into the parts of myself mentally, physically, emotionally that I didn’t know existed.

“I had to really dig deep so many times to really overcome challenges and reach history and great achievements.

“It also taught me that if you do things in the right way, if you’re dedicated on a daily basis to constant improvement approach of trying to perfect your skills, yourself as a person, as an athlete, it will get you to stars and even further.

“So nothing really is impossible if you, first of all, strongly believe in it, visualize it, and then create the right short-term and long-term plan in order to execute everything that you have, you’re dreaming of.

“I achieved my childhood dreams in 2011, and then I had to come up with new dreams and new goals and set new horizons to reach.

“Also, I think it taught me to accept the small losses in life with more optimism. And that also whatever happens, if you lose a tennis match, there’s always another one coming around the corner.

“It is a very demanding sport. It is a sport that has the longest season of all sports, but it’s a very beautiful sport that, as I say in this regard, always gives you another opportunity, another chance, another week where you can shine and win a trophy and kind of reinvent yourself.”