Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have clashed 50 times in their career, with the Serbian champion having emerged victorious on 27 occasions. Only the rivalry between Nole and Rafael Nadal, in terms of matches played, is superior: 55.
Unforgettable the aforementioned final of the Wimbledon Championships of the past season, in which Federer was unable to convert two match points on his service, allowing Djokovic to return permanently to the game and win the match at the tiebreak of the fifth set.
Djokovic: ‘I was mostly on fluids and snacks’
There have been rumors doing the rounds that Djokovic does not consume anything before big matches. “It’s interesting,” Novak Djokovic said during his appearance on the “Wish & Go” podcast.
“I almost talked about autophagy. When people say autophagy, they mean starvation, that’s not the case. It’s like eating at a certain time, and when you’re not eating, you’re consuming fluids. Basically, I don’t eat much before matches.”
He talked about the 2019 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer: “I don’t take like some four eggs with bacon in the morning! Since the final was at 2 pm, I was mostly on fluids and snacks like I do before matches.
For example, sweet potatoes, boiled vegetables without spices, give me a little energy, with some fruit, oatmeal, I eat as much as I feel I need. And of course, a lot of fluids, vitamin drinks that give me energy. That’s me; for someone else, I know he likes to be full, but tennis is different from some other sports.
That match lasted almost five hours.” The World number 1 also revealed that he likes to have dates, bananas, water and energy drinks during matches. “During matches, I eat dates, sometimes bananas, drink water, and two different energy drinks, and that’s it.
I believe in the psyche, the emotions. When you are in fear, your stomach cramps, and you cannot eat. Everything that happens at the moment when you play the finals, it is clear that your stomach is convulsing.” At the 2020 ATP Cup, Djokovic helped Serbia win its first title by scoring six victories including wins over Medvedev in the semifinal and Nadal in the final.
At the 2020 Australian Open, he defeated long time rival Roger Federer in straight sets en route to the final where he defeated three-time grand slam runner-up Dominic Thiem in five sets. This is Djokovic’s 8th win at the Australian Open, making him the first Open Era male player to win Grand Slam titles in three different decades.
