Abu Dhabi: Novak Djokovic has no plans to follow his mentor Boris Becker into coaching when he retires, suggesting instead that he will become involved in his passion for nutrition and sports science.
A life-changing meeting in 2010 with his fellow Serb, the nutritionist Dr Igor Cetjojevic, discovered that the current world number one had an allergy to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other bread grains.
Dr Cetojevic had discerned this was the reason for Djokovic’s struggles to breathe, leading to frequent mid-match collapses and earning him the nickname ‘Djoker the choker’ and disapprobation from his rivals.
But thanks to Dr Cetojevic’s teachings, Djokovic has transformed into one of the fittest athletes on the planet, who is eager to spread the word about healthy living when he hangs up his racket.
“I think coaching is something that people expect a retired tennis player to do, but that’s not the first thing in my mind actually, not even at the top of my wish-lists after an active, professional tennis career,” Djokovic tells me in an exclusive interview during last month’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“I have many, many other things [to focus on]. I am very much engaged in nutrition, well-being, sports science, that’s the kind of field of life that interests me the most.
“I will definitely stay in sports and be in health, because it’s a very broad, very large sphere of life with many things you can do.”
Through his worthy future endeavours, Djokovic hopes to transcend his sport.
“I like doing things in life that have a meaning behind them and are not solely for materialistic reasons and for my own subjective interests, but what I can do to use my status and maybe influence other people positively and improve the environment.”
Does he ever yearn for a pizza or anything else full of gluten?
“It’s not only gluten free,” he replies, laughing. “People talk about that because it’s a trend in the world of nutrition.
“I am dairy free and, most of all, refined sugar free. Sugar is everywhere and I think it’s the number one enemy health wise to every person in this world.
“I try to avoid sugars and gluten and dairy and it has helped me get better and healthier. I haven’t been sick too many times in the last five years and I’ve been able to get that optimal health that enables me to fulfil my potential, physically, mentally, emotionally and achieve great heights in my profession.”
Would he be where he is today without Dr Cetojevic’s intervention?
“I don’t think about what ifs. Everything that happens in life is for a reason.
“I’d never heard about gluten before, so he opened up a new world to me, so I appreciate that very much.
“He was there for a reason. I was there for him, he was there for me. We helped each other grow and expand as human beings.
“That knowledge I gained with him on the Tour and he gained with us on the Tour is priceless. Of course we are still friends and we keep in touch. He’s one of the people that has kind of contributed a lot to my health.”
“I’m fortunate that when you’re with Novak a lot, you tend to pick up some of his eating habits,” his coach Boris Becker tells me, when I ask if he has adopted Djokovic’s diet. “In my case, I’ve lost 10 pounds, maybe more [laughs].
“I’m obviously not as extreme as him, but he knows a lot about food, which I didn’t know before. Some of the things that I’ve really, really picked up, that was good for me, like for example I don’t eat red meat anymore, for a while already. And you can imagine, I was born and raised in Germany and we’ve been eating red meat all the time.
“I stay away from some of the things I used to eat before I started working with Novak. I think it was also good for my lifestyle to stay healthier.”
DJOKOVIC'S TYPICAL DAILY DIET
BREAKFAST: Water first thing out of bed; two tablespoons of honey; muesli (including organic, gluten-free rolled oats, cranberries, raisins, pumpkin or sunflower seeds and almonds).
MID-MORNING SNACK (if needed): Gluten-free bread or crackers with avocado and tuna.
LUNCH: Mixed-greens salad, gluten-free pasta primavera (including rice pasta, summer squash, courgettes, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and optional vegan cheese).
MID-AFTERNOON SNACK: Apple with cashew butter; melon.
DINNER: Kale caesar salad (kale, fennel, quinoa and pine nuts) plus dressing (including anchovies or sardines); minestrone soup; salmon fillets (skin on) with roasted tomatoes and marinade.
