Novak Djokovic Opens About Wanting to Quit Tennis in 2010 and Fighting Back Disappointing Defeats to Become 17-Time Grand Slam Champion

Novak Djokovic has opened up on the distressing 2009-2010 period when he failed to win single Grand Slam title and had contemplated retiring from the game after successive defeats to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and failure to live up to expectations. Djokovic, who with 17 Grand Slams has the third most major titles among men, had a dream start to the 2020 season with the ATP Cup win over Spain and an eighth Australian Open title before the coronavirus pandemic halted all sporting events and froze the tennis calendar. The Serbian was on an unbeaten run of 21 games, which also included the Dubai Open Championship win before tennis stopped and courts shut. Novak Djokovic Gets Haircut From Wife Jelena At Home Amid Coronavirus Lockdown (Watch Video).

According to a report from Sky Sports Italia, Djokovic, who lifted his first Grand Slam with the 2008 Australian Open win, had through of retiring from tennis after going through a tough and dry period in the past. The current World No 1 post his 2008 Australian Open win had lost most major semi-finals while also losing four of his next five Grand Slam matches against Federer and four more against Nadal. Those losses, according to the 22-year-old, affected him severely and put under pressure but things looked to have reached a climax in 2010. Novak Djokovic and Wife Jelena Challenge Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal and Others to Do a Crazy Stunt (Watch Video Post).

At the 20101 French Open, Djokovic looked in fine fettle as he breached past opponents en route to the quarter-finals but his run was halted Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who came from two sets down to beat the then World No 3. “Against Melzer in Roland Garros, during the quarters, this defeat was really difficult for me emotionally,” Djokovic said in a show with Sky Sports Italia. Djokovic lost that match 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 (3-7), 4-6 despite leading the match by two sets and being one set away from the semis.

“I cried a lot after this defeat because I had a moment in my life, my career, when everything happened in a fusion in which I really did not see a reason to keep on playing, I wanted to quit tennis,” he added. “After that moment I felt I was freed. The accumulation of this pressure was making me too tired to play, I wasn’t feeling the joy, I wasn’t feeling free to really play in a way, a type, a style of play which was aggressive.”

The Serb, however, overcame the defeat and has since gone on to win seven more Australian Open titles, five Wimbledon, three US Open and a French Open making him the third-most decorated tennis player in the men’s category. He is only the eighth player to complete a career Grand Slam and first ever to hold all four major trophies on three different occasions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 02, 2020 10:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).