Currently ranked #1 tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic credits some of his success on the court with his lifelong love of skiing. The Serbian superstar took his first ski run well before he ever picked up a racket and openly admits that skiing is a greater passion in his life than tennis. He recently commented on skiing’s role in his athletic career in an interview before the Miami Open 2019:
“I think skiing has affected the I feel flexibility of my ankles, my joints. I know a lot of players are forbidden to ski, but I don’t have that in my contract. I don’t sign a contract that conditions me not to ski.
Skiing, it kind of runs in my veins. I come from a professional skier’s family. My dad used to compete. My uncle, my aunts. For us, it’s kind of normal to be on the slopes. I grew up on the mountain.
I’d played, of course, a lot of basketball and soccer. Those are very famous sports in our country. Just try to be outdoors. I spend a lot of time outdoors. Nowadays, it has changed with technology and everything. But I think that has helped my development also as a person and a tennis player.”
Love that he still throws out “Cowabungas” like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle style…
Dude is genuinely stoked on nature:
