"Novak Đoković is the best learner I've ever met." Gebhard Gritsch, who travelled with Đoković for 8 years as nutrition consultant and fitness trainer. shatters narratives. https://www.welt.de/print/welt_kompakt/print_sport/article165359496/Novak-will-jetzt-auch-das-Leben-geniessen.html

For eight years, sport scientist Gebhard Gritsch has travelled around the world with Novak Đoković as his nutrition consultant and fitness trainer.

A few weeks ago, Đoković rid himself of his entire team. The team had its only remaining member, the controversial mental coach Pepe Imaz, Andre Agassi added to it for the French Open.

In Paris, Đoković struggled into the quarterfinals, where he lost to Dominic Thiem in straight sets 7-6 6-3 6-0.

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Did you follow the tournament in Paris.

-- No, I'm in Austria. I just sat for hours on the Danube. I feel like a bird. After all the years on the Tour, I can come and go however I want. It's quite nice.

Novak Đoković seems to be mainly concerned with spiritual things during this crisis. Is it possible that he's exhausted all the possibilities concerning technique and the physical and then, as a perfectionist, he's looking at other things?

-- That's an interesting theory. The tendency is there, yes. He's a great perfectionist. And it certainly makes sense that he explores the esoteric in the sense of life, joy, and so on.

Which ones?

-- The basic theme is reconciling the professional with the private. A top athlete who is so successful needs to be selfish, and can't spend much time on things that don't affect his performance. It's logical that that isn't ideal for a family and its social environment. So he's now reached a stage where he tells himself: "Hey, I need to re-orient myself. I want to be both: a good athlete, but also enjoy the pleasures of life." He also wants to develop as a human being. And whatever he takes on, he does meticulously. He's very serious.

Currently, love and peace seem to be the focus of attention. He wears t-shirts with that printed on, and he speaks publicly about 'Amor y Paz', Pepe Imaz's principle. How did he meet the Spanish mental coach?

-- Novak's brother met a couple of years ago a couple of Spaniards on the Futures Tour who trained at Pepe Imaz's tennis academy.He started training with them in Marbella. Then Novak started training there too. He felt the environment was very positive, not only in terms of sport, but also in terms of his own personal development. He now basically lives in Marbella.

Has he changed as a person?

-- Novak has changed fundamentally since then. He's much more balanced and open-minded towards society, much more tolerant. He's changed much towards the positive, he's much more life-affirming. Novak is a happy person.

How long have they known each other?

-- A long time through his brother. We've spent more time there through the years.But there's only been a close co-operation for the last year.

Becker gave way to Imez. In your opinion, what role did the Spaniard play on the Marian Vajda team?

-- None at all.

How close is the contact between Đoković and Imaz?

-- Pepe is there for some tournaments like the French Open. Otherwise they're in telephone contact. But again, in general: I know Pepe Imaz quite well. And the way he's portrayed in the media as a crazy guru isn't correct. It's beyond reality.

What is he like?

-- He's a person who prizes values and tries to help others. I won't get into how he is as a tennis coach. That's not the point. I think he's helped a lot of people, and is still helping. He's a good person in and of himself.

Is spirituality a topic Đoković has always been interested in?

-- Yes, to an extent. It's grown over the years. In the beginning, sporting success overshadowed everything. But he realised it then, and he studied psychology intensely and tried to extract the positive. And succeeded.

-- I think everyone who has worked with him has got something out of it for themselves. Coaching Novak is an unbelievable experience, because you get very accurate, very intense feedback, and you can then use the methods for your own development.

And you as a person? Did he inspire you?

-- We all spent a lot of time together and everyone learned from the team. Certainly the most from Novak. I was impressed by how he was able to motivate himself every day, both by sport and his personality. Someone who lives so intensely and so consciously every single day is very rare. He was the best learner I've ever met, and a curious person in the positive sense.

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