Djokovic’s advice for aspiring professionals
Originally published on 20/11/15
Djokovic met British U16 player Jake Hersey at the ATP World Tour Finals in London this week and discussed the 15-year-old’s development programme at the Edgbaston Priory High Performance Centre in Birmingham.
“Try to be patient,” Djokovic told Hersey, currently ranked No.2 in the Midlands for his age group and 26th nationally. “I know that everybody went through this stage you are at, myself and all the other top players. Of course you feel like everything has to happen in the same moment, you want to play Grand Slams, you want to start winning professional matches; I know how that feels.
“But try to understand the process of the big picture and always try to remember why you started to play the sport – because you love it, because you fell in love, that’s something that should always be in your subconscious as source of drive, energy and motivation whenever you have tough moments.
“You are going to have them, plenty of them, but you are going to have joyful moments as well. It’s important to keep that picture in your mind – you are playing because it’s your choice; you love the sport and you love competing and remember that everything you are doing in your tennis career and your private life will reflect afterwards, positively or negatively."
PEUGEOT supports the sport of tennis as the Official Car Supplier to the ATP and for over 30-years with vehicles to the French Open at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic is its international Brand Ambassador and Jamie Murray is sponsored by PEUGEOT UK.
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