What is the Secret Behind Djokovics Sccess in 2011? His Coach Knows

Debate has continued for much of the year about what is the  key factor that has pushed Novak Djokovic ahead of the seemingly unassailable  dominance of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the summit of men’s tennis in  2011.

Is it increased fitness, greater resilience, a stronger serve or  improved volley? Perhaps it’s all down to the gluten free diet or perhaps it’s  all a continuation of the elation Djokovic felt winning the Davis Cup for Serbia  last December.

No, says the man who knows the world no.1 and US Open top  seed the best, coach Marian Vajda. “The important thing for Novak has been his  brain,” insists the Serb’s long time coach.

“Maybe before he was  impatient. He was saying to himself: ‘I have Federer and Nadal in front of me. I  can’t make it.’ He was thinking negatively thinking. He needed to toughen up in  his mind, which was the thing that made all the difference. Before he not  mentally strong like now. Now it seems he is mentally the strongest of them  all.”

Vajda revealed there were long and deep conversations in the  Djokovic camp around the time of last year’s US Open. A semi-final victory over  Roger Federer was the first product of a new way of thinking but he still came  up short against Nadal in the final.

In outdoor tennis there has been  hardly any looking back ever since. “With Rafa, Roger and also Andy Murray, it’s  always a mind game,” insisted Vajda. “It’s
like chess. They know what the other  one is going to do but they have to stay
there, prove they can stand the other  ones pressure and then come up with
something different.

“In the last  year, really since last year’s US Open, he has moved into being in his prime  mentally. Courtesy of Novak’s talent he was one of the best players in the world  but not the best. Now he has picked up and with the maturity and the confidence  that he has got that crucially bit better, he can win all these matches. He  knows what to do, how to do it, which way to prepare. It’s all locked in now and  he’s benefiting.”

Djokovic himself is in agreement with the Vajda  assessment on the superiority within the current elite. “Against the top players  at the top level, it always comes down to a very few points that decide the  winner,” said the top seed. “That's why I think in the end this is a very mental  sport. It’s why you need to have a lot of self-belief on the court.”