Novak Djokovic’s bid for the No. 8 Wimbledon title begins Monday

WIMBLEDON, England –

Listen to Novak Djokovic’s opponents explain why he’s as successful as he is — why he’ll embark on Monday’s pursuit of a fifth consecutive and eighth overall Wimbledon championship; why he’ll also be trying to claim an Open-era record 24th Grand Slam trophy on the grass courts of the All England Club over the next two weeks – and they’ll provide plenty of answers.

Its best-in-the-game return of service. His dangerous two-handed backhand. Its elasticity. His stamina. His defense. His ability to read someone else’s intentions, get where a ball is going and forcefully send it back, a combination that Casper Ruud described after losing to Djokovic in the French Open final: “He just goes in this mode he just becomes a wall.”

Listen to Novak Djokovic explain why he did what he did and why he’s still doing it at 36, and he’ll give a reason that’s much less tangible and much less perceptible, something he mentioned in his victory speech at Roland Garros a few years ago. weeks ago.

“I try to visualize every thing in my life and not just believe it, but really feel it with every cell in my body. And I just want to send a message to every young person: be in the present moment; forget about what is happened in the past; the future is something that’s just going to happen,” Djokovic said. “But if you want a better future, you create it. Take control of the resources. Believe it. Create it.”

Talking about his own hopes and dreams as a seven-year-old that day, Djokovic noted two primary goals: to reach No. 1 and to win Wimbledon.

He’s been #1 for more weeks than any man or woman in half a century of automated rankings. Now he will try to tie with Roger Federer by taking the No. 8 title at the oldest of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Djokovic is one ahead of the injured Rafael Nadal — and three ahead of the retired Federer — for most singles majors won by a man, with 23.

“Those two guys,” said Djokovic, who faces Argentina’s Pedro Cachin on Center Court on Monday, “have kept me pretty busy for the past 15 years.”

His 23 is the same number Serena Williams ended her career with last season; only Margaret Court, who won 24 in both the amateur and professional eras, has more.

“Grand Slams are the goal. I don’t know how many, but I think he has a lot more in his body,” said Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic. “It’s fascinating to watch because sometimes you think, ‘Okay, now you have 23.’ But he will find some kind of motivation again to win 24, maybe 25. Who knows where the end is?”

Going into the 2011 season, the rankings of the so-called Big Three’s Slam looked like this: Federer with 16, Nadal with nine, Djokovic with one.

After winning his first major title at the 2008 Australian Open, Djokovic went through a span of 11 majors, with four of the losses coming to Federer or Nadal in a semifinal or final.

His self-confidence was a bit gone.

“There I was really doubting myself whether I could do it or not, because you go far but then you fall on the last hurdle,” said Djokovic. “The more you fall, the more you doubt everything, you know what I mean?”

And yet, with the same tenacity he uses on a track — “The mental strength he has is incredible,” was how his first-round opponent in Paris, Aleksandar Kovacevic, put it — Djokovic dug away from the track and found ways to improve. And he still does, which is part of the reason why most consider him, not No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz, the favorite as Djokovic continues to pursue the first Grand Slam of a calendar year by a man since Rod Laver in 1969.

“What you have to admire about him is that he has been very clear about what he wants to achieve – try to get that Grand Slam record. When he put himself in a position to do that, he did it.” said Andy Murray, who won two of his three major titles at Wimbledon. “He didn’t look like he was getting nervous or thinking about it or anything like that. Yeah, he went and did it. It shows the strength of character that he has.”

So where did this belief come from?

Djokovic points to several factors: his upbringing in a time of war and embargo in Serbia in the 1990s; his parents (“More than 95 percent of people … laughed at them and discouraged them from spending what was left of the family budget on such an expensive sport,” he said); his first coach and ‘tennis mom’, Jelena Gencic; and a later coach and “tennis father”, Niki Pilic.

Everything helped him grow as an athlete and person.

When he was 7 or 8, Djokovic said, Gencic would show him a video of the best male and female tennis players. She also taught him “the importance of relaxing and listening to classical music, reading poetry, singing and reading, conscious breathing, and so on.”

His mother, he said, “is a rock,” and his father “instilled in me such strength of faith and positive thinking.”

That, like any other shot or talent, is why, says Djokovic, “every day I’m the best on the field.”

Therefore, he has won 11 of the past 20 Grand Slam tournaments.

And that’s why he wants to continue.

“I don’t feel relaxed anymore, to be honest. I’m still hungry for success, for more Grand Slams, more achievements in tennis. As long as that drive is there, I know I can compete at the highest level.” ‘ said Djokovic. “A few days after Roland Garros I was already thinking about the preparation on grass and what needs to be done.”