Rising above reality: How Djokovic bends his mind to succeed


              FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts after losing a point to Britain's Andy Murray during their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/John Donegan, File)
            
              FILE - A billboard depicting Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic and the Christian Orthodox monastery of Ostrog is seen on a building in Belgrade, Serbia, June 24, 2020. In Serbia, Djokovic is revered as a national hero who overcame the odds in the economically crippled country with few tennis courts to become the world’s No. 1 player. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
            
              FILE - Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, checks a linesman after hitting her with a ball in reaction to losing a point to Pablo Carreno Busta, of Spain, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 6, 2020, in New York. It was unintentional and Djokovic repeatedly apologized but it spotlighted a fiery temperament that he works hard to suppress. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
            
              FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Switzerland's Roger Federer pose with the trophies after the men's singles final match of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 14, 2019. After saving two match points to beat Federer in a five-set thriller in the 2019 Wimbledon final, Djokovic explained how he coped during what was “probably the most mentally demanding match” of his career, playing against arguably the most-loved tennis player of all time. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland, File)
            
              FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic, center, poses with volunteers and players after the Adria Tour charity tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, on June 14, 2020. In Serbia, Djokovic is revered as a national hero who overcame the odds in the economically crippled country with few tennis courts to become the world’s No. 1 player. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
            
              FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic raises his arms in victory after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during their final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, on June 13, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)
            
              FILE - People celebrate and wave Serbian flags at a welcoming ceremony for Novak Djokovic in Belgrade, Serbia, July 4, 2011. In Serbia, Djokovic is revered as a national hero who overcame the odds in the economically crippled country with few tennis courts to become the world’s No. 1 player. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic, File)
            
              FILE - Novak Djokovic reacts as he lifts up the Wimbledon men's singles trophy in Belgrade, Serbia, July 4, 2011. The turning point of his career came in 2011, when Djokovic won 10 titles that included three Grand Slams and he achieved the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis for the first time. (AP Photo/ Marko Drobnjakovic, File)
            
              FILE - Tourists gather for a guided tour of excavation sites, amateur archaeologist Semir Osmanagic, center, around the Visoko valley where he claims the pyramids are hidden under the weird shaped hills of Visoko, July 27, 2006. Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, share new age, esoteric beliefs and together have visited the Bosnian hill town of Visoko, where some believe that four hills shaped like pyramids offer healing powers, a claim disputed by scientists. Visits by Djokovic have spurred tourism to the site where Bosnian archeologist Osmanagic opened a pyramid park that include a web of underground tunnels he claims emit a special energy. (AP Photo/Hidajet Delic, File)
            
              FILE - Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena kiss as they arrive for the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards, Feb. 18, 2019. The 34-year-old Serb and his wife, Jelena, share new age, esoteric beliefs and together have visited the Bosnian hill town of Visoko, where some believe that four hills shaped like pyramids offer healing powers, a claim disputed by scientists. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File)
            
              FILE - Srdan and Diana Djokovic, patents of Novak Djokovic, react after Novak defeated Roger Federer, of Switzerland, in five sets in a men's semifinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Sept. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
            
              FILE - Staff member of Serbia's Novak Djokovic Spanish Pepe Imaz, wears a shirt that reads, "Love and Peace" as he watches the 3rd round game of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Bercy Arena in Paris, Nov. 3, 2016. In 2016, Djokovic teamed up with Imaz and he delved into meditation, to help calm his mind, and learned visualization techniques that he says allowed him to feel elevated above stressful situations. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
            
              FILE - Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, right, speaks with his coach Boris Becker before resuming his men's singles match against Sam Querrey of the U.S on day six of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 2, 2016. Becker, a former top-ranked player who coached Djokovic from 2013-2016, said the same determination and stubbornness that fuels Djokovic's strength on court can also be his weakness. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
            
              FILE - Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, hoists his country's flag after beating James Blake, of the United States, during their bronze medal match for men's singles tennis at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Aug. 16, 2008. In Serbia, Djokovic is revered as a national hero who overcame the odds in the economically crippled country with few tennis courts to become the world’s No. 1 player. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
            
              FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning a point against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in a Men's singles semifinal match on day eleven of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London on July 12, 2019. (Carl Recine/Pool Photo via AP, File)
            
              FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns to Andy Roddick, of the United States, in a Men's singles match at the Australian Open Tennis Championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
            
              FILE - A boy riding a bike passes a graffiti of Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic in Belgrade, Serbia, Aug. 8, 2013. In Serbia, Djokovic is revered as a national hero who overcame the odds in the economically crippled country with few tennis courts to become the world’s No. 1 player. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
            
              FILE - Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts to winning the first set against Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during their ATP Cup tennis match in Sydney, Jan. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Steve Christo, File)
            
              FILE - Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, celebrates after defeating Andy Murray, of Britain, in their semifinal match at the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament, March 17, 2007, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
            
              FILE - Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, arrives to play his semifinal match against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, at the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, in Paris, France, Nov. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
Rising above reality: How Djokovic bends his mind to succeed