Novak Djokovic says he is hoping for “divine intervention” anytime he finds himself physically challenged. Djokovic, 36, has been one of the best-prepared and fittest athletes for well over a decade. But even Djokovic’s tank can run out of gas at times. When those moments happen, it’s not the end of the world for Djokovic, who has often found a way throughout his career to win those type of matches.Ā ā(I can rely) on God and guardian angels. In moments when I donāt feel my legs anymore, when I donāt have any strength left, when the ball is blurryā¦ in those moments, I hope for divine intervention,” Djokovic told Serbian media, via Tennis Majors.
Djokovic survived a slugfest of a set against Daniil Medvedev
On Sunday, Djokovic beat Medvedev 6-3 7-6 (5) 6-3 in the US Open final. The second set, which Djokovic won, lasted an hour and 44 minutes. Reflecting on that set, Djokovic admits there were moments when he was striking the ball purely on his intuition. āMaybe you wonāt believe it, but itās happened to me many times throughout my career, to the extent that I even surprised myself how I was able to withstand certain situations. I think that was the case today. When you hit the ball over the net 30 times, you donāt see the ball clearly anymore, itās pure intuition. Itās hard to describe to someone who is not in my shoes, because thatās the last stadium of exhaustion. Second set was perhaps the hardest in my life,” Djokovic said. This summer, Djokovic played several thriller matches on the biggest stage. At Wimbledon. Djokovic suffered a tight five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Last month, Djokovic defeated Alcaraz in the Cincinnati Masters final, which lasted three hours and 49 minutes. The Cincinnati final that Djokovic and Alcaraz played went down as the longest ATP final in tennis history. This week, Djokovic is playing the Davis Cup for Serbia. After that, Djokovic will likely take an extended break and return to action at the Paris Masters.