CELEBRITY ATHLETE Reveals The MINDSET You Need To WIN IN LIFE | Novak Djokovic & Jay Shetty

Novak Djokovic 0:00 I can show to the world that, uh, you know, a kid from, you know, war-torn country can actually be the best in, in a sport that is very global. That's what happened, but all of these experiences have been there for a reason, and I, I, I don't regret anything. I don't pity anything. I just feel like that's something-

Jay Shetty 0:18 Mm

Novak Djokovic 0:18 ... that I had to go through.

Jay Shetty 0:22 And I think it's so beautiful that you are mentoring other-

Novak Djokovic 0:25 Mm

Jay Shetty 0:25 ... Serbian talents-

Novak Djokovic 0:26 Yeah

Jay Shetty 0:26 ... as tennis players because-

Novak Djokovic 0:27 For sure

Jay Shetty 0:28 ... I think that's what everyone needs. They need a, a guiding hand. They need someone who's been there.

Novak Djokovic 0:32 We need to share. That's for sure.

Jay Shetty 0:33 Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 0:34 That's for sure.

Jay Shetty 0:34 Yeah, and I think so much of the time we live in this scarcity mindset. Even with the deals, people say things like, "Oh, it's good for you right now, but it might not be later, so make the most of it." And, and then that intention-

Novak Djokovic 0:44 Yeah

Jay Shetty 0:44 ... is fueling people's-

Novak Djokovic 0:46 True

Jay Shetty 0:46 ... you know, greedy mentality. Like, "Oh, you've got three years."

Novak Djokovic 0:49 It's, now is the time.

Jay Shetty 0:50 Yeah, now is the-

Novak Djokovic 0:50 You better use it. Otherwise, you know... I know, I know, because I, I, I've, I've been a- and, and, and still m- trying to learn how to manage this myself.

Jay Shetty 1:00 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 1:00 Because I have also lots of opportunities in being number one of the world, and-

Jay Shetty 1:04 Yeah

Novak Djokovic 1:05 ... tennis is a global sport and everything. But, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm kind of going through the, this, this, um, kind of centering process of understanding what I need to, you know, do in order to organize my life better-

Jay Shetty 1:20 Mm

Novak Djokovic 1:20 ... in order to focus on what is the most important, you know, uh, aspect of my existence here. You know, the, the, the inner peace, you know, the, the spiritual growth, the understanding of, of self and, and of course the family, the close ones. But, you know, for the, for, for most of my career it was about tennis all the time, you know? So tennis, tennis, tennis, and then my ego plays with me so much. I mean-

Jay Shetty 1:46 Yeah

Novak Djokovic 1:47 ... it plays with all of us, you know? [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:48 Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 1:49 Yeah, yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:49 Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 1:49 But you know, it's, I, I've, I've been, I've been thinking firstly that ego is the enemy, but actually now I'm, I'm kinda more leaning towards the theory that le- that ego is, is... It should be befriended, you know?

Jay Shetty 2:03 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 2:03 It should be, you know, part of your process of thinking, of feeling. And, um, and, and in this way you're also disarming your ego in a way, right?

Jay Shetty 2:16 Yes.

Novak Djokovic 2:16 Rather than to k- kind of trying to re- reject it, and then you're creating this... And this is, is so much, you know, what we're actually going through out, in the outside world as well, right?

Jay Shetty 2:28 Yeah. Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 2:29 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 2:30 So let me introduce you, and then I'll explain why I did it-

Novak Djokovic 2:32 No worries

Jay Shetty 2:32 ... 'cause I think it'll make sense. Hey everyone, thank you so much for coming back for this very, very special episode. I'm genuinely so honored and grateful to introduce our next guest. Not only is he the number one tennis player in the world, he has 14 Grand Slam titles, including four Wimbledons. But on top of all of that, he's extremely spiritual, an incredible healer, transformer, and someone who's doing so much great work in the world. I've had the pleasure of getting to know him over Instagram and WhatsApp, and today I get to sit down with him for the first time. But he's definitely someone who's attracted me here to Monaco through his energy and through his incredibly humble and graceful spirit. So Novak, it is an absolute-

Novak Djokovic 3:20 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 3:20 ... pleasure being with you, my friend.

Novak Djokovic 3:21 My friend, my friend. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 3:23 And I, and I feel your energy-

Novak Djokovic 3:23 Thank you, my friend. Oh my gosh

Jay Shetty 3:24 ... over WhatsApp and Instagram. I feel it in front of you right now.

Novak Djokovic 3:27 Jesus.

Jay Shetty 3:27 And I really believe that we've just been-

Novak Djokovic 3:29 Yeah

Jay Shetty 3:29 ... pulled together.

Novak Djokovic 3:30 So, so good. I mean, thank you so much for, for coming to, to see me here. Uh, I'm, I'm really honored. Um, and it's, as you said, you know, social media was the platform through which we established the, the f- the first, uh, connection. But, um, I feel like, you know, watching you, uh, and, and what you do and, and sharing your message, I felt connected you- with you instantly. And your message deeply resonates with me, with, uh, people that, uh, are close to me. And, uh, it's, it's a dream come true to be with you here today.

Jay Shetty 4:04 No, you're the sweetest man. And, and I genuinely feel that when you have a good... And anyone who's listening, I highly recommend this. If you have a good online connection with someone, take it offline as quick as you can.

Novak Djokovic 4:14 Yes.

Jay Shetty 4:15 Like turn it into face-to-face. And that's what I saw, that we were connecting so beautifully. I remember one of the first things you said to me was, "Higher forces are connecting us." Like, higher forces are between us getting connected. And when you said that to me, I just felt, "I have to meet you. There's no need to keep this relationship online. There's no need to just have it here. If this is someone who truly believes there's a deeper connection here, let's, let's get together. Let's see each other." So I'm so grateful that you opened up this opportunity for me to visit you.

Novak Djokovic 4:42 Thank you very much, and I'm, I'm really grateful that, and, and genuinely, you know, honored that you, you guys came all the way from LA. You know, it's, it's a long trip. And, and I think we, you know, we all, uh, share a common kind of vision and, and, and compassion for, for, you know, for the world. And we, I think we all interact, you know, with the world in, uh, very similar ways, even though we... You know, I'm an athlete, uh, but I, I don't like to categorize or label myself as an athlete, you know, as society likes.

Jay Shetty 5:16 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 5:16 Um, I think we, we expand much more than that. And, uh, social media and, and, uh, internet is, is great if you use it in the right way. So I feel, I feel like it's, it's a great platform. And it got us connected, and we're here today. Uh, and, and not while ago I've, I've sent you a message on Instagram because I'm, I'm your fan, I follow. Of course, I follow your message, and I follow your energy and everything that you've been, uh, spreading and, and sharing with people. So, uh, I'm just happy to, to-

Jay Shetty 5:45 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 5:45 ... to get deep and talk about, uh, you know, things that I usually [laughs] don't get asked on the tennis tournaments.

Jay Shetty 5:51 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 5:52 So it's, it's really exciting.

Jay Shetty 5:53 Absolutely. Absolutely. And that's what I love about you, and that's why I'm excited for everyone who's listening and watching, is that you aren't athlete, but what I was saying to you earlier is you are so much more and you have so much more to give. You've worked so hard on the court. But what I love about you is that you're also an inner athlete, like you're doing this inner work and, and you've really focused on growing yourself, healing yourself, working on yourself. So let's dive into all of that today.

Novak Djokovic 6:17 Sure. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 6:18 Make this the interview where you, make this the interview where you get to talk about everything that's important to you. And, and that's why this podcast actually started. I was speaking at an event last year, and Tom Brady was speaking before me, and he was interviewed by a sports journalist. And the conference was actually about building meaningful lives. So I was asked to speak about that topic. Tom was speaking before, and the interviewer asked him a question, and Tom started speaking about his family.

Novak Djokovic 6:43 Mm.

Jay Shetty 6:43 He started talking about being a father. He started talking about all these beautiful values and responsibilities and, and how he's growing now that his sports career is, is coming to a, you know, a natural end, et cetera. And the sports journalist just said to him, they said, "Tom, leave all this soft stuff. Let's talk about the sports." And, and I felt so bad for him-

Novak Djokovic 7:04 Mm

Jay Shetty 7:04 ... because I just felt like he was really trying to open up his heart, and the sports journalist was almost just squashing all of that and saying, "Let's just talk about your rings. Like, let's talk about the medals." And so I wanted to build a platform where people like yourself and people from music, media, movies, film, everyone can actually come and talk about your deeper sides and, and your real heart.

Novak Djokovic 7:25 Mm.

Jay Shetty 7:25 So I want you to feel really comfortable to be able to do that today.

Novak Djokovic 7:28 I am very much-

Jay Shetty 7:28 Yeah. Yeah. [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 7:28 ... and you are definitely one of the very few people that, uh, in my life and [clears throat] that I've known, you know, th- thus far and, and of course, uh, that I'm following that I can share this message with. And I, and I, I, I truly mean that because... And, and I, I d- I don't mean that in a bad way for the society. I'm not judging. I don't like the judgment.

Jay Shetty 7:48 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 7:49 I don't like the, you know, the, the word hatred or anything like that. I, I'm, you know, I, I respect everyone. And, and we-- I respect also this kind of, uh, moment in time that we as people are in.

Jay Shetty 8:01 Yes.

Novak Djokovic 8:02 You know? And our society is where it is, uh, with a reason, and we just have to go through that stage of development, I think, and, and evolution. And, uh, it took me time to really, I, I feel like, come to that understanding in a way, uh, because I was also for many years, um, [clears throat] through my character building process and spiritual development and kind of opening my mind to different dimensions and horizons of, of, you know, self-awareness and self-care. Um, I, I was just feeling, um, a lot of times, uh, lonely, you know?

Jay Shetty 8:42 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 8:42 And, and, uh, I just felt like the, what I was doing was not understood, especially in my world. And not just understood, but it was not accepted, which was, uh, even worse because then, you know, you're labeled as a kind of like a, a black sheep, you know, in the herd. And, um, but I still wanted to play tennis and still stay in that, in that, in that sport, in that, uh, you know, field of life. Uh, which I have, and I'm not, you know, regretting. On contrary, I'm so blessed to

Novak Djokovic 9:12 do what I love. I, I've started playing tennis when I was four years old. Um, and, uh, my family did not have any tennis tradition, so it was literally a, a sign of a destiny. Um, three tennis courts in front of my parents' restaurant in a small mountain, uh, place in Serbia called Kopaonik. Uh, my father was a [clears throat] ... Sorry, but giving you a little background on my family.

Jay Shetty 9:37 Yeah, do it. Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 9:38 Um, was a professional skier. He was a skiing instructor. That's how he met my mom, on the skiing slope.

Jay Shetty 9:44 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 9:44 And, uh, you know, it's a funny story. You know, she kind of like-

Jay Shetty 9:47 Tell us, tell us. Yeah

Novak Djokovic 9:47 ... she, you know, she, she, she was skiing, and then she fell, and then he was there, and he was like, "Oh, you, you need help. I think I c- I think I can help you." [laughs]

Jay Shetty 9:55 He didn't trip her up. [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 9:56 And he probably organized the whole thing, you know?

Jay Shetty 9:58 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 9:58 But, uh, but you know, that's how they met and, you know, they, they, you know, six months later, they got, they got married, and I was already... My mom was pregnant with me. And, and then a year later, they opened a restaurant in the very mountain where they met, and that's the, the, the restaurant was the business that generated the, the, you know, the budget for our family. So we spent a lot of time there because we lived, uh, three hours by car away in the capital city of Serbia, Belgrade, where I, I went to school. And my two younger brothers, I have two younger brothers. Um, uh, their names are Marco and Georgie. They're, one is four years old, uh, younger than me, and the other one is eight years younger than me. And this is like, we, we talked about, you know, my children and, and the indigo children and that kind of like a new wave of, [clears throat] you know, of energy and consciousness and awareness that we're receiving from above through children that already have, you know, what we don't have. You know? And that's what I see in my brother.

Jay Shetty 10:51 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 10:52 You know? And, and he's been born with this capacity and ability to just multitask-

Jay Shetty 10:58 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 10:58 ... and deal with things so successfully and still be happy, and it's, it's quite amazing. So, you know, going back to, to, to my story is, you know, I f- I felt that in my world of tennis, I just, uh... When you're a professional athlete, um, you know, it's all about winning or losing, right? I, I just, I don't see losing or failure as, as such. I, I j- I see it as another great lesson, um, that awaits for me to learn from and to grow.

Jay Shetty 11:29 Did you always have that, even when you were young?

Novak Djokovic 11:31 No.

Jay Shetty 11:31 No.

Novak Djokovic 11:31 No. I just, as I said, I, I, I went through my evolution and, and, uh, I was fortunate really that when I started playing tennis, I, uh, ran into and came across some really, really, um, knowledgeable people, uh, about tennis and about life. In particular, um, one, uh, woman, and her name is Jelena Gencic. Uh, she's not with us anymore. She passed away in 2012. But she was my tennis mother. And so my parents, uh, [clears throat] you know, invested a lot of energy and efforts in, in those times during '90s when I was growing up. Uh, uh, we had, uh, two wars. We had, uh, um, unfortunately war that broke down the whole Yugoslavian region, 'cause it was big Yugoslavian country, very strong. Uh, made of, you know, six different states, uh, I mean, countries that are right now independent. I'm coming from one of them, which is Serbia. And, uh, and then during '90s, from like '91, '92, all the way till 2000, we had embargo. Um, so people waiting in line for bread and milk and, like-

Jay Shetty 12:41 Yeah

Novak Djokovic 12:41 ... absolutely most, you know, necessary things. And, uh, [sighs] then '99 we had, in Serbia, we had bombings, um, for two and a half months every single day and night. W- I was there. My family was there every single day. We woke up every night for two and a half months because of the alarm and because of the planes flying over us, and it was, it was devastating. It was frightening. It was, uh, worst thing that, that definitely we w- [clears throat] you know, we ever experienced. Uh, you know, seeing planes over your head and just dropping bombs in ho- you know, hospitals and, and everything. It was just, uh, terrible, terrible. Many innocent people died. Thankfully, I h- I, I didn't lose personally anyone that is very close to me. Uh, but I know people that lost, you know, their loved ones and, uh, that's a scar that stays with you forever. So th- this memory stays and will stay with me forever. But, um, at the beginning, I felt like probably most of the people in my country, um, I felt I want revenge. You know, I felt like w- you know, "Who are these guys to bomb innocent people? What the hell is going on?" I was 12 years old, and I remember, uh, I was there day and night, and I, I celebrated my 12th birthday during the day because we didn't go to schools, obviously. I was just, uh, hiding in shelters and everything. And then we just, after a week or two hiding in shelters, we just said, "Okay, we're just gonna, you know, go about our life and that's it. You know, we don't, we're not gonna care what happens. If, you know, if we're hit, we're hit. You know, what we can do?" I mean... And so I remember on my 12th birthday, uh, kids were singing, [clears throat] my friends [clears throat] at the tennis club because we spent a lot of pl- a lot of, uh, times playing tennis 'cause we, we didn't go to school, so for us it was great.

Jay Shetty 14:34 Yeah. [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 14:34 And, uh, and then we, we, i- w- they were singing the happy birthday song, and there was a plane flying. And I have this image in my head, this plane, and just kind of dropping bombs everywhere. And it was, [clears throat] it's terrible. But at the same time, the, I, I've, I felt like as, as I was kind of growing, you know, inside out as well, I felt... And I think my parents helped me a lot with that, is that they, you know, we can't judge the whole nation or everyone for the actions of certain individuals or certain groups or institutions or whatever that decided to bomb our country and just kill innocent people. We can't, you know, judge everyone for that, you know? And, and that's, that's when I kind of like shifted and I just, I right, you know, this moment absolutely forgiven everyone and everything that have done that. But you cannot forget that.

Jay Shetty 15:31 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 15:31 You know, you cannot forget that. It stays, as I said, as a scar. Uh, but it has, on a brighter side, brought a lot of value to my life and a lot of appreciation for the value.

Jay Shetty 15:42 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 15:43 I felt like this experience, I'm so grateful for this experience, I truly am, because it has helped me to sh- to shape me into the person that I am today, the player, tennis player that I am. It has made me hungrier for the success in tennis. Made me hungrier to work, train, build myself so I can show to the world that, uh, you know, kid from, you know, war-torn country can actually be the best in, in a sport that is very global. And, uh, and, and so that's, that's what happened. But all of these experiences have definitely, uh, been there for a reason, and I, I, I don't regret anything. I don't pity anything. I just feel like, okay, you know, that's, that's my karma, you know?

Jay Shetty 16:29 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 16:29 That's something that I had to go through, and I had to live, uh, uh, that and, and, and, and if we manage to get through that as, not just as a family, but as people, as a nation, you know, there's, there's not much that can break you down. So, you know, historically S- S- you know, Serbian people and people in the region have, have had a lot of, you know, uh, uh, hard wars and hardships and, and, and they've been through that. So it's, it's really, it was really nice to see the, the unity with people. And I remember one of the... I was actually talking the other day with, with my brother and my wife about still reflecting on that st- on that period and what was the strongest image that stayed with us from this bombings of two and a half months in '99. And one of them for me was obviously the one that I explained to you with a, with a birthday and shelters. But there was one where I remember, uh, thousands of people gathering on the bridge, one of the most important bridges in, in our city, uh, with, um, shirts, uh, that, that have targets there, and everyone painted their heads with tar- like a, like in a, in a shape of a target, and singing songs and, you know, kind of just-

Jay Shetty 17:44 Wow

Novak Djokovic 17:44 ... enjoying having fun. And in a way showing to the world and to whoever is, you know, uh, uh, you know, kind of, kind of dropping bombs that we are the target, so we are protecting this bridge. We are protecting this, this city. You know, if you wanna crash it, you have to go through us. And, and it was, I, I think more than that, it was just that, that, that, that power of unity, you know? That, that energy and that strength that they just showed, the resilience, and that was beautiful, you know, in, in those moments of, of hardship.

Jay Shetty 18:15 That's incredible, man.

Novak Djokovic 18:16 Mm.

Jay Shetty 18:17 That's, that's such a... I've, I've heard you tell that story many times-

Novak Djokovic 18:19 I've sidetracked from your question [laughs]

Jay Shetty 18:20 No, no, no, no. And I'm glad.

Novak Djokovic 18:22 I went into different-

Jay Shetty 18:22 No. And I've, I-

Novak Djokovic 18:23 Yeah

Jay Shetty 18:23 ... no, no, I'm glad you did because I've heard that story before. I'm glad that-

Novak Djokovic 18:26 Yeah

Jay Shetty 18:26 ... everyone who hasn't heard that story before has an opportunity now. And, and the reason why it's so beautiful is because You- that's probably like most of the planet does not experience that

Novak Djokovic 18:37 Mm.

Jay Shetty 18:37 That's, that's pretty extreme.

Novak Djokovic 18:38 Yes.

Jay Shetty 18:39 Right? And so for someone like you to come from that extreme, and especially what you said, your initial response was revenge. For you to be able to transform that revenge into resilience, that's incredible.

Novak Djokovic 18:50 Mm.

Jay Shetty 18:50 Because it would've been so much easier to just have that pain and have that unforgiveness. And so it's-

Novak Djokovic 18:56 There was a great story that, uh, that, um, uh, I've read. Um, I'm sure it's quite popular on the social media. Everyone is sharing it. It was about the snake and the, and the saw.

Jay Shetty 19:07 Okay. Oh.

Novak Djokovic 19:08 I don't know if you've came across it.

Jay Shetty 19:09 Tell me.

Novak Djokovic 19:09 And it's, you know, the snake, [clears throat] it's a ki- It's true story, actually. The snake came into the, you know, carpenter's, uh, uh, uh, shop and, um, it w- it w- as, as it was kind of going and it, it got caught by a saw and the saw kind of cut it, and the snake didn't realize what was happening, so it went to, to bite, to, to, yeah, to bite the saw and it hurt itself even more. So the snake didn't know what was happening, so it started going around the, uh, the saw in order to, you know, suffocate it, thinking that saw is attacking it. So it was pr- you know, protecting itself, and finally, uh, snake died. Um, and, and this kind of translates into life. And there's so many times that we get angry or upset, you know, with some people, thinking that we want to hurt them because we feel hurt, but it finally we are hurting ourselves. And, and it was, it was such a deep message that I kind of like resonated with really, and I think that kind of sums up my [clears throat] evolution in a way and, and, and, uh, my growth, uh, mentally of how, you know, I should deal with these particular circumstances and in events that have been quite, uh, significant, uh, in my life. And, you know, the wars and, and those times of, you know, uh, hardships were definitely one of the most significant, uh, times of, of my life and my career, where, where I experienced, uh, what it feels like to literally have $10 in, [clears throat] in, at home in the apartment with, with, uh, you know, for my father and my mother with three children to feed and, uh, having to wait in the line to get piece of bread for hours and, uh, and not being able to travel around the world to play tennis. Uh, and tennis is [laughs] is expensive sport.

Jay Shetty 21:10 Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 21:11 Um, you know, you need money to pay for the racket, for the tennis balls, for the coach, for the court. So all of these things, you know, and, and they... And I think in the end of the day, as I said, it brings, it brings light and value to my life because, you know, I think going through all of that has made me stronger, but at, at the same time made me more grateful because I, I understand the both extremes, so to say.

Jay Shetty 21:40 Yes.

Novak Djokovic 21:40 Because today I really, uh, I enjoy so much of, uh, you know, uh, success in this, you know, society and the sport and I can afford many things and I'm really, really grateful for that and blessed. But I've been on the-

Jay Shetty 21:57 Other side of the line

Novak Djokovic 21:57 ... on the opposite side, so I think that, that storyline is, is really something that enriches me.

Jay Shetty 22:04 Absolutely, man. And your, your life story is such a beautiful message to the world.

Novak Djokovic 22:07 Mm.

Jay Shetty 22:07 It's a great message to the world. Like it's-

Novak Djokovic 22:09 Thank you, my friend

Jay Shetty 22:09 ... it's, it's incredible and I'm glad that I see when, from the way I view it, you, you live it like a message too. It's not about you. That's, that's what I feel when I'm with you.

Novak Djokovic 22:18 Mm.

Jay Shetty 22:18 That it's not about you. It's not like I did this.

Novak Djokovic 22:20 Mm.

Jay Shetty 22:21 It's, it's actually a story and a message to the world that, you know, any child, any person who is-

Novak Djokovic 22:26 Mm

Jay Shetty 22:26 ... in such abject con- conditions can actually transform their lives.

Novak Djokovic 22:30 Absolutely.

Jay Shetty 22:30 So thank you for being that, man.

Novak Djokovic 22:31 Well, thank, thank you. Thank you. And I, I just feel like, you know, the, the, the message I can share from my experience, and I don't want ever for people to feel that I'm preaching or anything like that-

Jay Shetty 22:41 Sure

Novak Djokovic 22:41 ... I just feel like my experience has helped me to reach, you know, certain success, if you wanna call it, you know-

Jay Shetty 22:48 Mm-hmm. Yeah

Novak Djokovic 22:49 ... um, in, in both, uh, professional and private, uh, way, uh, is, is that there is always time for everything and, and, you know, I've, I'm learning myself even today how to be patient, how to, how to c- you know, coordinate certain things in my life, how to create space for the biggest, uh, quality time that I can have with my priorities, which are my family, which is my growth, and it's, and it's a constant juggle and then you can't, you can't... I, I, I truly believe in balance, but I don't believe that we can ever reach a stage and or point where we can say, "I'm in balance."

Jay Shetty 23:31 I agree. [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 23:31 You, you can be in balance-

Jay Shetty 23:33 I agree

Novak Djokovic 23:33 ... but the next moment you're not in balance because that's life and everything is moving-

Jay Shetty 23:36 Absolutely. Yeah

Novak Djokovic 23:37 ... and it's happening. So, um, so that's, that's why I feel like, and in through tennis I, I've learned my, you know, biggest and hardest lessons in life and I've ex- experienced those, those emotions. And for me, you know, tennis court is still [clears throat] a field, you know, uh, where, where I have a chance to grow really.

Jay Shetty 23:58 Mm. Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 23:58 And I, I, when I'm not on the tennis court, I find it much easier to, um, accomplish certain things that, that I want to on a daily basis, but then tennis court I use as exactly that platform that challenges me and challenges my ego. So I ha- still have, for example, outbursts on the court. I break a racket, I scream, I, I, I curse. I know you don't curse at all. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 24:22 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 24:22 And I, I find that amazing that you, you took, took that vow. You gotta teach me how to do that.

Jay Shetty 24:27 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 24:28 And, uh, and, and, and so when that happens, instantly I feel like, "Oh my God, why?" What, what did I do? You know, and I have two children. I have, you know, many children around the world are watching and, and, and, and, you know, seeing what you're doing and imitating you in a way. So you're sending that kind of message. So I try always to have that in back of my mind and, and, you know, subconsciously like, okay, you know, try to do, you know, what you do best, but do it with dignity, do it with style, do it, you know, with always having, you know, that kind of inner voice telling you-

Jay Shetty 25:03 Mm

Novak Djokovic 25:03 ... you know, there's, you know, thousands, you know, of, of children around the world watching you play right now and, and absorbing like a sponge every move, everything you say, everything you do. But it's... I still do it. I still go through these outbursts, and I, I f- I felt, uh, disappointed with myself for a while-

Jay Shetty 25:25 Wow

Novak Djokovic 25:25 ... because of that. I really felt like I was, uh, betraying myself. I was not managing to, uh, to do what I intended to do. And, uh, and, and then I learned about surrender, and, uh, and then I learned about there is a time for everything in life and, uh, there is, um, a reason why we have to take every step of the way in order to reach the top of, in whatever way you, you, you feel that top is, is for you. And, uh, and I, and then I understood that, you know, I have to accept, I have to embrace, I have to channel it and understand that, you know, I still have to work and I have to work all the way to the last day that I, that I breathe and, and, and, and I'm happy with that. I-

Jay Shetty 26:13 Mm

Novak Djokovic 26:13 ... I really feel like I, I managed to take that positive leap in that direction.

Jay Shetty 26:19 What's... You, you've touched on it a few times then. I wanna dive into it deeply. You mentioned success, reaching the top. The world sees your success. The world sees your achievements. But in Novak Djokovic's eyes, in your own eyes, what's been your greatest success, your greatest achievement so far?

Novak Djokovic 26:37 Hmm.

Jay Shetty 26:37 In your perspective.

Novak Djokovic 26:38 It's a good question. My greatest achievement is my open mind. I, I feel that with an open mind- mindness, uh, type of, you know, perspective and approach to life, you help all the natural processes in yourself to flourish and to excel, and you're embracing the natural flow of life where you have to evolve and you have to develop and you have to learn. And I just, I- if I have to define it that kind of shortly, I, I would say it's, it's just open mind because I feel the ignorance and the closed mindness, um, and, and certain convictions that, that people have, uh, are so strong that, you know, you, you go throughou- throughout your whole lifetime without really allowing, you know, yourself to open up to the world and learn about all these different cultures and things that can enrich your life and make you feel more fulfilled and live a more fulfilled life, um, be more joyful, uh, have that inner peace and s- emotional balance and stability that we all strive to. And, and I just feel with an open mind, you're just helping yourself and you're able to receive, uh, kind of filter and then, you know, give at the same time because, you know, the Taurus field, everything has to flow.

Jay Shetty 28:16 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 28:16 So that's how it flows. But if you don't have an open mind, then obviously your... Everything closes up.

Jay Shetty 28:23 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 28:23 Whether it's health, whether it's, you know, profession, whatever it is in your life, it just kind of feels... And I was there. I, I, I was there. I don't want people to think that I, I, I know it all or whatever. I just feel, you know, also that I'm sharing the experiences from my process because I was there, as I said, I, I felt, you know, resentment. I felt, you know, feeling of, of revenge. I felt hatred. I did... I felt all of that. We all, you know, go through that. We're all human beings. We, you know, kind of, you know, experience those kind of emotions. But I feel with training and repetition and discipline, that obviously sport has taught me so well, you can really reach anything that you truly want and desire in your life.

Jay Shetty 29:09 And where did that open-mindedness start? Like, where did you start to notice that the closed mind was limiting you and the open mind was expanding you?

Novak Djokovic 29:18 Well, I think very early, to be honest, uh, uh, ever since I kind of wished to play tennis-

Jay Shetty 29:26 Right

Novak Djokovic 29:26 ... when I was four or five years old, and tennis was never a sport in our family. I think it, you know, I kind of helped also my parents to expand, you know, outside of their, in a way, comfort zone and going to the sport or field of life that is completely unknown to them in a way.

Jay Shetty 29:43 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 29:44 And I think that, uh, um, you know, I gr- I, I s- I started playing tennis when I was four and a half, I think five years old. And before that I was, uh, I was skiing a lot. And I, and I remember even before I started to run, I was already with my dad, you know, skiing.

Jay Shetty 30:01 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 30:01 He was carrying me and going down the slopes and, and so the first sport for me was skiing.

Jay Shetty 30:06 Right.

Novak Djokovic 30:06 And until I was, I think nine years old, I didn't really know whether I wanna ski or, or play tennis.

Jay Shetty 30:13 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 30:13 I was... Football, soccer a little bit there, but it was mostly about skiing or tennis. And, uh, and unfortunately, I mean, we've been through all this and my father, my father asked me... I, I remember, I remember that, that day when he sat me down, uh, with my mom and he said, "I am ready to support anything that you desire to do in your life, and I'm here for you, but you have to tell me If it's sport, okay, and what sport? And, uh, [clears throat] and I said, "Okay, give me one day [laughs] to think. I needed to-"

Jay Shetty 30:50 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 30:51 You know? And, and-

Jay Shetty 30:52 Big decision

Novak Djokovic 30:53 ... yeah, I mean, a- and then-

Jay Shetty 30:54 You could have been the best footballer

Novak Djokovic 30:55 ... and then I was thinking, and then I said, like, I, it didn't take me a long time. I thought, I said, "Maybe just a little time to think," but then after half an hour, I, I went to him and I said, "It's tennis." And he said, "Okay, tennis it is." And, and then I think us kind of getting into this, um, uncomfortable, unknown zone or area or field of life, uh, has allowed us to kind of expand, all of us. And, and also, um, having certain mentors and people that have greatly positively affected me on many levels. My... I've, I've mentioned my tennis mother, as I like-

Jay Shetty 31:35 Mm-hmm

Novak Djokovic 31:35 ... to call her. Um, I've met her when I was, I think, five, six years old, and then I started training with her tennis camp, summer tennis camp that was coming from Belgrade, from capital city-

Jay Shetty 31:48 [clears throat]

Novak Djokovic 31:48 ... to Kopaonik, this place in, in the mountains. And then [clears throat] when I was, I think, six, seven, I also started having some private lessons with her in Belgrade while I was, you know, going to school, and she was happy to, to, uh, to play with me because she felt like I was very talented.

Jay Shetty 32:05 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 32:06 And then she told, she told my parents, she said, uh, "I really feel like you should try to give your best to support this child to play tennis because I've never seen a bigger talent, uh-

Jay Shetty 32:17 Wow

Novak Djokovic 32:18 ... from, than him from Monica Seles," who was, uh, you know, obviously the best tennis player in the world and one of the best female tennis players of all times. And she was her coach as well. And because Monica was born in Serbia and then she went to, to live in States, where she is today. And, uh, [clears throat] and of course my, my parents were like, "Well, if, if such a experienced and knowledgeable person about the tennis says that, then, you know, we should try to support our child." So that's what happened. And, um, I remember I was watching, you know, tennis practices and sessions on the fence. I was climbing. I was really, really-

Jay Shetty 32:53 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 32:53 ... in love with the sport. I was very passionate about it. And she taught me, uh, about holistic approach to life, I think.

Jay Shetty 33:00 Wow.

Novak Djokovic 33:00 Already back then when I was seven, eight. She really taught me how to, you know, think about the grades in the school, the music that I listen to, the mindfulness that I have, the observation, the focus, the kindness, the relationship with people. She was working in, i- in a team with my parents. And my parents-

Jay Shetty 33:23 Mm

Novak Djokovic 33:23 ... you know, I'm really grateful for my parents because they recognized the role of a mentor very early.

Jay Shetty 33:28 Early on, yeah.

Novak Djokovic 33:28 So they, they kind of teamed up with her, and then, you know, I was learning a lot from, from, from my parents obviously, and continue to learn, and w- from, from my tennis mother. So that has helped me to, I feel like, be open-minded-

Jay Shetty 33:43 Mm

Novak Djokovic 33:43 ... and, and, and understand, but I obviously went through my phases and, you know, through, through the process of, of learning and those, dealing with those emotions. Although I felt when I started traveling by myself, because I was traveling my, my father until I was, I think, 16, and then, uh, 16, 17, I started having my coach. And, and, and I, you know, I didn't ge- get too deep in the conversations with my dad and with my mom, and I felt there are some subjects and, that, you know, uh, I want to talk about, and in especially in, you know, puberty and teenage years, you know, you're, you're experiencing-

Jay Shetty 34:20 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 34:20 ... so many changes. And, and, and I was so much in tennis that I didn't really have time for, for other maybe school activities that-

Jay Shetty 34:28 Mm

Novak Djokovic 34:28 ... the, the, my fellow friends and, you know, students were going through, uh, 'cause I was so much in tennis. Um, and, and then I, I started sharing so much with, with my coach, [laughs] I think, that I remember my dad was like, "Why don't you share that with me?"

Jay Shetty 34:45 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 34:45 And I was like, "Because I don't, I don't feel that I've, I've... First of all, I've never shared that m- that, those particular subjects and types of conversations with you. I've ne- I don't, I don't feel we can, we, we can resonate on that level." And, and we tried, but we, it never worked out. So, but he was understanding in that I h- also have to have, you know, people that, that are close to me and that influence me on different levels. And, and that's what I feel like helped me a lot to, uh, to develop.

Jay Shetty 35:18 Wow. And, and one of the things I noticed about you is also, and I'd love to get your thoughts on this, I feel like it's tough to get to the top, but it seems to be even tougher to get to the top, have a slump or have a moment of challenge, and then try and get back, because you've experienced something.

Novak Djokovic 35:35 Mm.

Jay Shetty 35:35 And it's like w- I know that you've even credited your wife with her dedication to self-care, and your work and what she's trained you or-

Novak Djokovic 35:43 Yes

Jay Shetty 35:43 ... or shared with you in journaling.

Novak Djokovic 35:45 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 35:45 Tell us a bit about, bit about the process that you've taken to be at the top, have challenges, and then still come back, because everyone's been quoting obviously you having the impossible comeback, and-

Novak Djokovic 35:54 Mm.

Jay Shetty 35:55 But, but you made it possible. What was happening mentally, spiritually for you? Not just physically, but what was happening mentally and spiritually for you?

Novak Djokovic 36:02 Well, first of all, to reflect on the impossible word. I- in, in the word you have I am possible, right?

Jay Shetty 36:08 Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 36:09 So I, I, I truly, I don't believe in any, you know, in, uh, something is impossible. I re- believe really everything is possible, as we talked about it earlier.

Jay Shetty 36:17 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 36:17 Uh, my wife has been, um, you know, my girlfriend for long time, ever since I was 18. She was 19.

Jay Shetty 36:26 Wow.

Novak Djokovic 36:26 That's, that's when we-

Jay Shetty 36:27 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 36:28 ... started dating. And, uh, she used to play tennis, and that's how we met. And we've known each other four, five years before we started dating, um, you know, through tennis. And, um, and then she went to study in Italy, um, in Milan, and I came at more or less the same time here in Monaco, um, to, to follow my, my coach at the time. And I started using Monaco as a base. And, uh, she came over. Mon- Milan is close to Monaco, so she came over, and that's how it all started. And, uh, when she finished studies, she was obviously, you know, thinking she had a lot of opportunities for her own career, but she sacrificed that in order to live my career, live my dream, in order to save the relationship in a way. So I'm very grateful for, for, for her and what she has, you know, um, done for our relationship and for me. And I've, I learn, I keep on continue to learn from her so much. She introduced me to yoga, actually. Wow. [laughs] Back in, uh, back in the days when she was, uh, studying. Um, she is a, a, a huge reader. She likes to read any- everything and anything, and she, you know, uh, likes to write as well. And she was being, big on journaling all the time. And I remember when I was quite young, from my tennis mother and from my parents, I learned how to, uh, kind of write and, and have specific things that I wanna share on the paper. I did it. You know, kind of like what I'm grateful for and things like that, which was nice. But then I lost that. I, I lo- I didn't do it for many years, and then she remind me of that. So I, I, I started doing it again, and, and, and it felt great because I felt like I could release a lot of things that were tensing me up. Through journaling. You know? Through writing. Through journaling. Exactly. Right, right, right. But also through yoga. Yeah. You know, she learned about it. She, because she was so stressed during her, you know, uh, studies. Um, she spent a whole day obviously studying with books and, you know, student life isn't easy, so she was looking into ways how she can relax herself, get more energy. And, you know, she was n- she was not drinking coffee or any of these things. So she came into yoga, and she was sharing it with me, so I started doing it with her. You know, the whole, the, the breathing, the pranayama- [laughs] ... the, the, you know, the, the sun salutations and everything. And, and that's ever since then we've been doing obviously some form of yoga, you know, try on a daily basis. And, and, um, you know, she, she's been a, a very, a, a, um, very significant, integral part of, uh, of my life and my, my evolution. And what I'm really grateful for is that not only that we, you know, truly love each other and we are very transparent and honest, but also that we have help from the universe to actually be in a very similar state of consciousness- Mm ... in certain phases of our lives so we can help each other learn better and grow faster in, in certain areas w- that we choose that are, you know, um, you know, part of those particular periods. So- Yeah ... so I think, uh, she would agree that when we became parents, uh, four years ago, that has completely shifted our world, you know, upside down. Up to that moment, we were also spiritual, but, you know, still quite basic comparing to what has happened after that. [laughs] And we truly believe that, uh, our, uh, kids are our masters and our teachers, and then they come to this life to bring, um, bring lessons for us and bring help for us to understand a lot of things about ourselves on the deeper levels and what we have to work on, which is, is quite contrary to what, you know, in a way- Yeah ... society thinks, which is like- We think we have to teach them. Yeah ... we, we are teaching them. Which we are, of course. But, you know, actually, I, I've been, I've been talking with her a lot about that, and, and- It's powerful ... now we, we have a, a baby girl that is one year old. And, and she, I was mentioning she's a healer. She really is, and she brings that kind of energy to this world. [laughs] And she has, yeah, I mean, skyrocketed our attention for the moments, for, you know, the consciousness, the awareness about everything. I mean, even more. And we're like, oh, my God, we, you know, there's another level, there's another level. So we, you know, we help each other grow, and I think we... It's, it's, I'm really grateful that I can share with her literally everything- Mm ... and anything that I'm interested in, that I'm going through. And, you know, she, she has been always the shoulder to, to lean on, and she has always been there in tough moments for me in my career when I was, you know, going through an injury recently. And, um, I had to take six months break- Yeah, that's- ... from the tennis. And, and then when I came back, I was, like, questioning whether I should keep on playing on that level or not. And I was, like, just going through, you

Novak Djokovic 41:32 know, just going through hard work inside. And, and then she, you know, she was there, and she helped me to overcome all of that. Uh, of course, with, uh, alongside with help of, uh, some, uh, uh, life spiritual teachers that I have that I can- Yeah, tell us about them ... speak about. Yeah. Yeah, tell us about them. A little bit. Um, well, uh, there, there are two guys in particular, um, Jose Pepe Maz and, and Zarko Ilic. Um, Jose Pepe is from, from Spain, and Zarko is from, uh, from Serbia. And they, I consider them really as, as, uh, my spiritual and life teachers, my masters, that I've, uh, learned a lot from. And, uh, back in, I think 2010 or '11, I've met, uh, Zarko, uh, so about seven, eight years ago. And, uh, I met him through my wife, actually, because my wife had a friend that, that knew him and, and that's how we got into it. He's a, he's a Reiki healer. Mm-hmm. Uh, but he's much more than that. And, you know, he, he helped a lot, both my wife and I, to, uh, again, open our mind even more to understand how we can have internal conversations with ourselves. Mm. 'Cause I, I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know how to verbalize my emotions, and that's where my wife was ahead of me, and that's where we struggled in our relationship because she was trying to dig things out from me and, and make me share more, but I wasn't Able to do that because I didn't know how.

Jay Shetty 43:01 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 43:01 She's like, "Speak to me. What do you feel?" I'm like, "I don't know. I feel something."

Jay Shetty 43:07 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 43:07 I, I just don't... And, uh, and, and so I think Jacques wa- was, was very helpful in that.

Jay Shetty 43:12 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 43:13 And, uh, and, and-

Jay Shetty 43:14 Sounds like everyone needs that.

Novak Djokovic 43:16 Everyone, yeah. I mean, everyone needs that, of course, but I think, you know, uh, there's this great saying, you know, when the, when the, when the student is ready, the teacher-

Jay Shetty 43:25 The teacher

Novak Djokovic 43:25 ... will come, right?

Jay Shetty 43:26 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 43:26 So I, I felt that, that the first initial step I needed to do, I needed to decide in my mind, internally, that, okay, this is exactly what I need for my heart, for my soul, for my d- for my growth. This is the, the, the priority. I have to learn how to manage myself, my emotions, how to, not just to be a better tennis player, but to be a better human being. And, um, and so, so then the teacher appeared, obviously. [laughs] And, and then after that, obviously, I, I, I, I started to expand my, my awareness and, and, and, you know, o- observation of the world and then I run into Pepe who is very close person and a, and, and also a spiritual life teacher to my brother-

Jay Shetty 44:12 Mm

Novak Djokovic 44:12 ... Marco, and they live in the same place. Actually, Marco, my brother, went to live in Spain because of Pepe.

Jay Shetty 44:18 Wow.

Novak Djokovic 44:18 And Pepe's whole philosophy of life is, uh, love and peace.

Jay Shetty 44:23 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 44:24 And, and, uh, he brought that kind of energy into our lives, the perspe- perception of love and peace, what it really means. And at the beginning, I, I was actually, uh, not really supportive, I must say, of my brother because he started doing that before me. He started going through this whole process of learning with, with Pepe. And, uh, he moved to Spain so he can be closer to him because he felt, you know, deep inside that that's something that is very important that he has to address. Uh, and I, I just, I didn't get it at that time. I, I thought, well, you know, you have to, you know, 'cause he was playing professional tennis, I was like, you can't really, you know, just love and peace, you know? You have to kind of like-

Jay Shetty 45:07 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 45:07 ... go back and train and-

Jay Shetty 45:08 Yeah

Novak Djokovic 45:08 ... this. Have this-

Jay Shetty 45:09 Well, uh-

Novak Djokovic 45:09 ... mindset. If you're love and peace on the court, the other guy will beat you, and this is what it comes down to, you know, in, in, in, in sports. And he was like, "Listen, I, I..." He's like, "I understand, but I, trust me, I have to go through this and I just feel that this is my growth." And I did- I didn't understand it at the time.

Jay Shetty 45:26 Right.

Novak Djokovic 45:26 And then I, but I was attracted to Pepe because I, I felt that his energy was amazing and you, you can never get upset with him. You know, you speak to him, he's, he's like you, you know? You, he always smiles and everything, you know. Even when we had tough conversations, he always smiles and send, because he always prays inside and sends you love.

Jay Shetty 45:44 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 45:44 And for that he had to work, and still continues to work, I mean, immensely.

Jay Shetty 45:50 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 45:50 And I didn't understand what he kept on emphasizing inner work, inner growth. Inner work, inner growth, universal love. I really f- I didn't really get it, you know?

Jay Shetty 46:01 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 46:01 And then, and then, then obviously, uh, uh, this whole energy attracted my wife and I and, and we connected with Pepe and with my brother on different levels. And, and today, you know, obviously we understand, you know, what, what he truly, what he truly means because we embraced that work.

Jay Shetty 46:21 Yes.

Novak Djokovic 46:22 And we have to do it daily.

Jay Shetty 46:23 Yes.

Novak Djokovic 46:23 And I just wanted to shortly reflect on, on that inner work-

Jay Shetty 46:27 That's okay

Novak Djokovic 46:27 ... for the purpose or goal. My goal for the inner work up to not while ago was tennis.

Jay Shetty 46:35 Wow.

Novak Djokovic 46:36 And that, and, and I, the e- the, the feeling inside, you can call it ego, whatever, has drawn me to that sensation of I need to do this because that will help me play better tennis.

Jay Shetty 46:50 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 46:51 But it didn't resonate. Something... I, I was living a successful life, but not fulfilled-

Jay Shetty 46:57 Yes

Novak Djokovic 46:57 ... life, if you know what I mean.

Jay Shetty 46:58 Yeah, yeah.

Novak Djokovic 46:59 Uh, and, and there was something wrong with that. I, I just felt, I, I felt the o- ounces of that truth and the essence and what it really means to, to, to do that on daily basis for yourself and your growth as a human being, and not just as a tennis player or a doctor or whatever. But I, it wasn't, it was weaker comparing to the other side, which was-

Jay Shetty 47:22 Mm

Novak Djokovic 47:22 ... since I was seven, I'm going, I, I dreamed of being number one of the world. That's my ambition. That's my lifetime goal. I have to fulfill it. When I fulfilled it in 2011, I kept on going. I just, I wanna be more Grand Slam w- I have more, more Grand Slam trophies. I wanna be number one for as long as I can, and just kept going. And I believe that from my experience you need goals and objectives, you know? And y- y- but you need to balance that with, you know, what is truly the most important work, which is the inner work.

Jay Shetty 47:57 Yes.

Novak Djokovic 47:58 And, and, uh, I didn't get it up to, up to not while ago, to be honest. And, and that's when I s- I start to get it, and that's when I start to understand the message from Pepe.

Jay Shetty 48:06 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 48:06 He was, whatever you do, you do it with excitement, with joy, with passion, but at the same time never forget about what you have to do before, during, and after that, which is a much, much bigger work and longer work. And, and now, now, now I do truly understand that.

Jay Shetty 48:27 Yeah. Give us, give us an... So for anyone who's listening and they're like, "Novak, I'm like you. I don't get it yet."

Novak Djokovic 48:32 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 48:32 You know, because so many people today feel like spirituality, energy, all of these words are flying around the-

Novak Djokovic 48:37 Yeah

Jay Shetty 48:37 ... internet. People are talking about it. But there's so many people that don't get it. Explain to us in your own way-

Novak Djokovic 48:42 Yeah

Jay Shetty 48:42 ... in the way you see it, what is inner work-

Novak Djokovic 48:45 Yeah

Jay Shetty 48:45 ... and what inner work you do, what you were saying that before that, during that, after, that has helped you, not just in tennis, but in fulfillment.

Novak Djokovic 48:51 Well, you, you've talked so and, and reflected so wonderfully on this in so many of your videos, uh, about the habits, about addictions that we have. The whole day passes by- We are not, we don't even remember a single moment in the day-

Jay Shetty 49:06 Mm-hmm

Novak Djokovic 49:06 ... because we've just been distracted the whole time.

Jay Shetty 49:10 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 49:10 So, you know, if we are learned and trained to be distracted, that's how our, you know, our life is going to unfold.

Jay Shetty 49:17 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 49:18 We are gonna be distracted. But if we train ourselves to be present and more aware, then obviously we're shifting the attention of the subconscious and all the internal, external energies and nature and everything into that. You know, in a simplified way, work on the habits, right? I, I mean, I have, you know, still some habits that need working on, you know? And, and, uh, you know, it, it, you know, r- for example, the phone, right?

Jay Shetty 49:45 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 49:45 That, that is so addictive, and you get into Instagram, that I, by the way, love.

Jay Shetty 49:49 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 49:49 I love Instagram. It's great. Fantastic. Uh, it's how we connect.

Jay Shetty 49:52 It's how we connected, yeah.

Novak Djokovic 49:53 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 49:54 Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 49:55 But, but if you let it become your master-

Jay Shetty 49:58 Mm-hmm

Novak Djokovic 49:59 ... then that's how it's going to be, and you're gonna be distracted. You're gonna feel lack of energy.

Jay Shetty 50:05 Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 50:05 You're gonna ha- feel lack of inner peace. You're going to feel upset. Uh, you know, you're gonna have a short breath, you know, all these different things, and that reflects on relationships. That reflects on, you know, your performance at your work or whatever you're doing. And, and for me, I, I try to, okay, try to think inside, okay, what am I doing right on the tennis court? How can I translate that in off the tennis court?

Jay Shetty 50:33 Interesting.

Novak Djokovic 50:34 And the, on tennis court what I'm doing right is complete 100% focus and presence of mind and body and everything, discipline, working towards objective, organ- organized, preparing myself. This is a big thing. I feel, you know, if you fail to prepare, you prepare yourself to fail, right?

Jay Shetty 50:57 Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 50:58 So preparation is a huge thing. I mean, at least in, in, in my world for tennis it has helped me a lot 'cause... I, I, I don't wanna put a number on it, but let's say 80% to a 90% of your, the match that you want, for example, or any success that you have-

Jay Shetty 51:16 Is before you stepped on the court

Novak Djokovic 51:16 ... exactly.

Jay Shetty 51:17 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 51:18 Exactly. How you do your homework, uh, for, you know, in, in, in my instance, you know, um, obviously working on all my strengths and weaknesses, uh, preparing myself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually for the match that is coming up. I have the whole, uh, short-term and long-term plan. How can I get from, from here to there in a shortest time? Those type of things. And then, you know, obviously doing your homework on the guy, on the opponent that you're playing against, where you're gonna play, the stadium, the crowd, the weather. You know, it's the, it, it's really whole homework that you have to do in order-

Jay Shetty 52:02 In order for you, yeah

Novak Djokovic 52:03 ... before you get in an- and then you win a tennis match, and then it's not only about the tennis match. It's 80, 90% of the work that you do b- prior to that. So that's why I, I believe, you know, preparation is a big, big thing. Working on the habits. You know, the, the science says that you need 20 what? Two or three days that you, you can, you know, shift, uh, uh, you know, from bad habit to a healthy habit. So we need persistency. We need discipline. You know, we need, we need repetition.

Jay Shetty 52:30 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 52:30 And Bruce Lipton, that I also like to listen to a lot, he, he, he's talking about subconscious, right?

Jay Shetty 52:36 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 52:36 And how subconscious is controlling probably 90, 95% of our everyday life. So if we can feed our subconscious with the information that is going to allow us to excel and to live life that we want to, then that's what's going to happen because your subconscious doesn't know what's good for you or bad for you. It just knows what you tell it.

Jay Shetty 52:58 Yes.

Novak Djokovic 52:58 And, and the, the seeds that you plant. So, so he was talking about, you know, uh, there are two ways to kind of hack your subconscious, which is hypnosis, which happens from, you know, up until s- you know, uh, you're seven years old and, and then repetition.

Jay Shetty 53:18 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 53:18 So that's why, I mean, my wife and I are very passionate for, uh, the, the preschool education and early childhood development. Until you're six or seven years old, that's when the, it's most vast brain growth and that's where, you know, the, the fundamentals and the foundation of your life is set. And, and that's where, you know, Bruce was talking about it really beautifully and, and it, it made sense. And, and then the, the, after you're seven, it's repetition.

Jay Shetty 53:50 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 53:50 It's discipline. Okay, um, I'm switching off all my phones, um, after certain hour. I'm, you know, doing my praying work, uh, because I believe in a invisible world. Science proves, quantum science talks about it, where the most distant points are actually one-

Jay Shetty 54:11 Mm-hmm

Novak Djokovic 54:11 ... in, in, in, in a split second and, and we, we all have proven that.

Jay Shetty 54:16 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 54:16 And so you just need to really believe it in order to achieve it.

Jay Shetty 54:21 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 54:21 You know, where your attention, you know, your, uh-

Jay Shetty 54:23 Yeah

Novak Djokovic 54:23 ... where your attention goes, the energy flows.

Jay Shetty 54:25 Mm-hmm.

Novak Djokovic 54:26 And, and I, I think i- it all starts with a open mind, and you have to, I think, with a question. It's always so great to ask yourself questions. [clears throat] Who am I? [clears throat] Why I'm here? What I wanna do? What I wanna become? What I w- you know, just all these questions. Put it on the paper, write it down. Go through, y- you know, in your mind through that, whatever your method is, but you just have to address it. If you don't address it, you're going to go about the same things that you went about, and then you're going to get the same outcome that you don't desire. So I, I feel like that kind of, uh, awareness about that, uh, just helps, you know-

Jay Shetty 55:03 Absolutely, man

Novak Djokovic 55:03 ... helps learn. And you know, I'm learning from you so much-

Jay Shetty 55:06 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 55:07 ... on a daily basis as well because, you know, I obviously follow your work and, and there are so many great messages out there, and I feel like this is the time where we can expand our consciousness and get closer to what, who we are.

Jay Shetty 55:19 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 55:19 'Cause you know, the, the, the two most important and oldest probably questions on, on this planet ever since the existence of humans is, you know, who we are and why we are here.

Jay Shetty 55:29 Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic 55:30 So I think also the truth-seeking, um, element and part is also quite important in that. I mean, I've, I consider myself a truth seeker. I, I like to, you know, try to dig even deeper and deeper and deeper and understand who we are, you know, why are we here? Is this a planet? Is this a realm? What is it?

Jay Shetty 55:48 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 55:49 You know, is this a matrix? Is it not?

Jay Shetty 55:51 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 55:51 You know? I, I-

Jay Shetty 55:52 Yeah

Novak Djokovic 55:52 ... I think it's, it's important to ask-

Jay Shetty 55:54 100%

Novak Djokovic 55:54 ... ask these questions and, and get, and do your research and dig deep into that, uh, 'cause other ... You know, I, I think it all comes down to, you know, whether you are your own master or, or not.

Jay Shetty 56:06 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 56:06 So I think if you are your own master, then it allows you to take actions the way you want them rather than ... You know, I, I loved, uh, Jim Kwik-

Jay Shetty 56:16 Yeah

Novak Djokovic 56:16 ... uh, that I also like very much, and he, he talks about the thermostat and thermometer. So the, the, t- don't be the thermostat, but be the thermometer. Set your, the temper- Set, you, you set the temperature of the room, and you set it up the way you wanted it.

Jay Shetty 56:33 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 56:33 And thermostat, if you set it, then you have to-

Jay Shetty 56:35 Reactive

Novak Djokovic 56:35 ... adjust.

Jay Shetty 56:36 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 56:36 So it's reactive. And, and I think it's such a, such a great wisdom.

Jay Shetty 56:41 Yeah, great advice, man. I loved what you were saying earlier. That's, that's great advice, and I hope everyone who's listening is, is taking notes. But that, what you said earlier I loved. You said that for a long time you believed ego is the enemy.

Novak Djokovic 56:52 Yes.

Jay Shetty 56:53 And then now you've started to understand that actually the ego has to be befriended.

Novak Djokovic 56:56 Yes.

Jay Shetty 56:57 And I thought that was a ... I, I couldn't agree with you more. I couldn't agree with you more. Sometimes I believe the ego is like a perfect mirror to yourself-

Novak Djokovic 57:04 Mm

Jay Shetty 57:04 ... and the self that you don't want, but at least it starts teaching you. The ego can teach you so much if you're aware of it. So I wanna hear your perception on how you've been switching between ego as the enemy to actually befriending the ego.

Novak Djokovic 57:17 Well, this is, this is so-

Jay Shetty 57:17 'Cause you've got every reason to have a big ego.

Novak Djokovic 57:19 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 57:19 Like, you've got every reason-

Novak Djokovic 57:20 Yes

Jay Shetty 57:20 ... and you're not. You're a very humble person, but you've got every reason to be to have a big-

Novak Djokovic 57:23 And I do have it. And I do have it.

Jay Shetty 57:25 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 57:25 And this is the, this is the point. I didn't understand it at the time, and we talked about it a little bit and, as, as you reflected. I do have a big ego, but I have to embrace it and, and, and, and h- learn how to befriend it and deal with it in, in the ways that, that I'm to w- going to work and team up with my ego rather than I'm going to be an enemy of my ego. Because then, again, I'm reacting. Then ego can, you know, persuade you and do different things and, and mask, you know, certain things. It's so smart and witty. And then you have to react, and then you have to just kind of like try to, try to handle and juggle so many things instead of, hey, let's team up.

Jay Shetty 58:09 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 58:09 You're inside of me. I'm you. You're me. Okay, let's figure this out. How can we work together? And you kinda have to, you know, please it, and at the same time you have to control it.

Jay Shetty 58:21 Mm.

Novak Djokovic 58:22 Uh, and even though I don't really like the word c- word control, I still feel like, you know, i- if you, if you create your controlled environment, it's gonna be better off for you in your life.

Jay Shetty 58:35 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 58:35 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 58:35 I've got ... So what I, what I finish off with every interview-

Novak Djokovic 58:37 Yeah

Jay Shetty 58:37 ... is called my final five. So the five, the fast five.

Novak Djokovic 58:40 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 58:40 So these are fast five questions-

Novak Djokovic 58:42 Yes

Jay Shetty 58:42 ... that you have to answer. So the, the first question I was gonna answer is, uh, what's the first thing that you do every morning?

Novak Djokovic 58:48 First thing that I do every morning is prayer.

Jay Shetty 58:51 Beautiful. Uh, second question, what do you pray for?

Novak Djokovic 58:54 First I express my gratitude, um, for, for my body, for myself, for the, uh, opportunity to continue my evolution as a multidimensional being in this realm. I, I'm grateful for my family. I'm grateful for being able to have my senses and to have big bed and to have a m- most beautiful sunrise every morning.

Jay Shetty 59:21 That's amazing. Third, how do you make sure that your energy is where you want it to be spiritually, internally?

Novak Djokovic 59:27 Um, continuing to work on, um, the things that we, we talked about. Um, so aside of the physical work and tennis, uh, and, and duties as, as a father and a husband, I need to get in daily something in my self-care work, whether it's only a, a, a meditation or it's a two-minute breathing, uh, prayer, whatever it is. Sometimes it's only that 'cause you don't have time, but y- you know, it's important to just kind of, uh, you know, keep, keep doing it and be disciplined with it.

Jay Shetty 1:00:05 What's the best advice you've ever received?

Novak Djokovic 1:00:10 Be open-minded.

Jay Shetty 1:00:12 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 1:00:14 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:00:14 I love that theme. That's the theme of this.

Novak Djokovic 1:00:16 Be open.

Jay Shetty 1:00:17 This, uh, yeah.

Novak Djokovic 1:00:17 I just like-

Jay Shetty 1:00:18 It's the theme for sure

Novak Djokovic 1:00:18 ... it, it's when you're open-minded, then you're ready to receive everything that, uh, we're surrounded with, and it's such a beautiful world, and we're so blessed, uh, that we live in this world and that we go through the process of evolution. And I think when you come close to the realization of, you know, who you are, I think, and you continue to seek for that truth, I just, it, it brings you closer to the source from where you arrived-

Jay Shetty 1:00:46 Yeah

Novak Djokovic 1:00:46 ... and just makes you, makes you so present and makes you so calm, and it makes you so joyful and grateful for yourself, for people around you, for everything that you have, that you do, that surrounds you, that fulfills you. And I feel that that's the essence of, of our life.

Jay Shetty 1:01:04 Amazing. And the fifth question, fifth and final question is, if your racket was a magic wand and you could get the whole world to understand one thing, what would you want everyone to understand?

Novak Djokovic 1:01:16 That our consciousness expands infinitely.

Jay Shetty 1:01:23 Beautiful.

Novak Djokovic 1:01:23 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:01:24 Straight to the point. What do you mean by that? What do you want them to understand for you?

Novak Djokovic 1:01:28 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:01:28 Man, I'm gonna give you the opportunity to explain.

Novak Djokovic 1:01:30 Oh my gosh, we don't have enough time.

Jay Shetty 1:01:31 [laughs]

Novak Djokovic 1:01:32 Um-

Jay Shetty 1:01:33 Here we go

Novak Djokovic 1:01:33 ... that, that our consciousness expands infinitely means, well, at, at least in my own perception, is that we are more than we think or feel with our five senses, than we really are. And when you, I feel like when I came to this realization, it just opened a door to a whole different universe and dimension to me, and I feel that my evolution and my growth, um, in every aspect of who I am in my every body has just quadrupled, uh, for light years ahead. I just feel, I feel calm at the same time, but so excited for w- everything that I, uh, that life has to offer that I can learn.

Jay Shetty 1:02:17 Thank you, Novak. We so have to do a part two.

Novak Djokovic 1:02:20 Please.

Jay Shetty 1:02:20 To dive into all of that.

Novak Djokovic 1:02:21 Please, guys.

Jay Shetty 1:02:21 We're gonna have to make it happen.

Novak Djokovic 1:02:22 Don't leave.

Jay Shetty 1:02:22 Yeah.

Novak Djokovic 1:02:23 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:02:23 Thank you so much, man. I'm so grateful.

Novak Djokovic 1:02:25 Thank you, my friend. Thank you.

Jay Shetty 1:02:25 Thank you for your time and energy.

Novak Djokovic 1:02:26 Thank you.

Jay Shetty 1:02:26 I know you have so many things on.

Novak Djokovic 1:02:28 I love you guys.

Jay Shetty 1:02:28 So nice to meet your amazing wife. Just-

Novak Djokovic 1:02:30 I love you guys

Jay Shetty 1:02:30 ... thank you so much, man.

Novak Djokovic 1:02:31 Infinite love to you.

Jay Shetty 1:02:32 So grateful. If you want even more videos just like this one, click on the boxes over here. And if you want to continue seeing these kinds of stories, you can subscribe by clicking the link right here