Novak Djokovic: ‘Mental health aspect must be talked about more’

“We’re already smashed. Completely,” said Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, 26, who reached the fourth round here

Novak Djokovic considers his mental state just as important as his physical condition when it comes to being prepared to play his best at age 36.

“Mentally there is probably a lot more that I’m dealing with in my private life than was the case 10 years ago. But that’s the beauty of life. Things are evolving, moving on,” said Djokovic, who will try to take another step toward what would be a 24th Grand Slam title when he faces Ben Shelton in the US Open semi-finals on Friday.

“I feel there is always an extra gear that you have inside of you and you can find when you dig deep to handle and manage energy levels, on and off the court,” Djokovic said. 

“If you’re really devoted to that and if you care about it, if you pay attention to that mental aspect as much as physical, of course. For quite a few years, actually, mental training was not really talked about much, generally, in the tennis world. And mental health is a subject that is quite talked about in the last, I would say, three, four years, which I’m glad. It needs to be out there,” Djokovic said. 

By the time players arrive at Flushing Meadows for the last major tournament of a long season—one that began in late December and will carry on into November—the ailments and injuries that are part of any professional athlete’s existence can make things tough. Some competing at the US Open, which concludes this weekend, say the wear and tear on the mind can be just as hard to deal with as whatever might be wrong with one’s body.

“We’re already smashed. Completely,” said Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, 26, who reached the fourth round here.

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