According to his coach Goran Ivanisevic, there is a simple reason why Novak Djokovic is able to keep winning trophies.
Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in the US Open final last night to win his fourth title in New York. Overall, he's now won 24 Grand Slam titles — two more than the second-most in Rafael Nadal with 22 — while he also equaled Margaret Court's all-time record of major wins.
That was despite some adversity in the form a grueling 104-minute second set where Medvedev looked set to claw one back while Djokovic also seemed to be dealing with tired legs.
However, the Serbian legend somehow managed to win the second-set tiebreak and go on to win the match. For Ivanisevic, that winning mentality is a product of many factors.
“He's a winner. He's the guy who is self-motivating,” he said (via ATP). “He had luck to have guys like Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer come before him, so they pushed each other, but he's a born winner. For him, when you tell him he cannot do something, it's even worse. Then he's going to show you that he can do it.
“There are no excuses. He always try to find a way how to win, how to fight, even when he's not feeling well, injured, not injured.”
Overall, it's been a very successful few weeks in Djokovic's return to the United States.
Along with the US Open crown, Djokovic is the World No. 1 once again. Prior to Flushing Meadows, the 36-year-old also exacted revenge on Carlos Alcaraz by beating him in the Cincinnati Open final in what was one of the matches of the year.
That win notably came just over a month after Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon final and halted his chances of not only equaling Roger Federer's record of eight SW19 titles, but also being one step away from a calendar slam.
However, Djokovic was quickly able to move on and the results are there for everyone to see — and that's why he's so good according to Ivanisevic.
“We came to Cincinnati. [Wimbledon] was not even mentioned one time,” Ivanisevic added. “It's past. When you lose, it's past. You know you can't get it back. That day Carlos was better player, and he won. Very simple.
“He won Cincinnati. He's the guy who is just forgetting things and moving on. That's why he's so good. That's why these four-and-a-half weeks in the States, he was happy that he could play here and it was really, really enjoyable and fun.”