One of the most difficult but necessary parts of sports — and life — is bouncing back after a defeat. That is much easier said than done, as Novak Djokovic could tell you.
Djokovic conducted an interview with Sky Sports Italy that was published on Wednesday. In the interview, he talked about some highs and lows in his tennis career. One of the lows came after he blew a two-set lead in the quarterfinals of the French Open and lost to Jurgen Melzer.
“It was a bad moment, I wanted to leave tennis because I saw everything black,” Djokovic said. “It was a transformation, because after that defeat I freed myself. I had won in Australia in 2008, I was number 3 in the world but I wasn’t happy. I knew I could do more, but I lost the most important games against Federer and Nadal. From that moment I took the pressure off, I started playing more aggressively. That was the turning point.”
Djokovic of course stuck with tennis and became the No. 1 player in the world a year after that loss. He is currently the No. 1-ranked player in the world and has won 17 grand slam titles. Earlier this year, he captured the Australian Open for the eighth time in his career.
