The moment Novak Djokovic almost quit tennis
15-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic has admitted he was extremely close to quitting his tennis career altogether in 2017.
Djokovic accepted the Sportsman of the Year Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards for the fourth time on Sunday night, and with his heart-warming speech came his shocking admission.
2017 proved a tough year for him, splitting with his long-time coach, Marian Vajda, and skipping the US Open due to an elbow injury.
The Serbian superstar took time off, his injury forcing him to take a break from the court.
He went through elbow surgery that year after being knocked out of the Australian Open in the quarterfinals.
The star thanked his wife for his support as she was the one who nursed him to health in his darkest moments.
“I would like to thank my wife for taking time and for presenting me in a different light and I think that the rare occasions we can share our personal journeys and who we are behind the curtain and I think you’ve done it much better than I would do it,” he said.
"Your support has been tremendously significant to me in those moments when I was questioning everything, when I was going through my doubts and dilemmas whether I want to keep on playing tennis.
“And yes, I did think about leaving tennis and I did think about everything else," Djokovic admitted.
Upon his admission of almost walking away from the sport that has given him 15 grand slam wins, Djokovic also revealed he found it difficult to find meaning during his long-spanning career.
Welcome to #Laureus19 @DjokerNole 💋 pic.twitter.com/9zixe31T9a
— #Laureus19 (@LaureusSport) February 18, 2019
In fact, he says he felt “relief” after his biggest wins in his career.
"Back in Roland Garros 2016 when I achieved the ultimate goal of tennis to hold all four slams at the same time, I felt a huge relief, I did not feel fulfilment to be honest.
"I tried to understand why, and I think it was because I didn't embrace, or I didn't live the process or the journey as much as I needed, and wanted that destination or that achievement of that goal.
“When I actually reached it, I realised that the goal would be nothing without that journey,” he finished.
Since then, Djokovic has exceeded in his career, winning Wimbledon, US Open and his seventh Australian Open title.
Overall, the tennis superstar has had to overcome adversities in his personal life – a feat he has admitted to. However, his wife Jelena has been seen supporting him even from the comfort of her own home with their two children, Stefan and Tara.
Sending love all the way down under!!! 🌞🥰❤️🙏@DjokerNole @AustralianOpen #idemooo #NoleFam pic.twitter.com/3Pe6Ra9TJn
— Jelena Djokovic (@jelenadjokovic) January 27, 2019
“I’ve had to do a lot of inner engineering as I like to call it, especially in the last 15 months, coming back from a major injury and having surgery and being very inpatient and anxious to come back,” Djokovic said.
“And then being on the verge to leave the racquet aside and now I’m standing in front of you and reflecting on that journey, it seems like a fairytale story, but it tells me one thing.
“In those moments when you’re facing adversity and feeling challenged, you should look inside because that’s where the answer lies. I did not understand that fully, I had heard that before, but I think when I went through this journey, I understood what this means and I now know where I can always find strength and motivation to keep me going.”