"I don't know what exactly is the case of Dominic Thiem, but I can relate" - Novak Djokovic on motivational struggles

Following his second-round win over Taylor Fritz at the 2021 Italian Open, Novak Djokovic opened up on his "crisis of motivation" after he won Roland Garros in 2016 to complete his Career Grand Slam.

Djokovic suffered a visible dip in focus and desire following that landmark achievement, failing to win another Slam for the next two years. The Serb's situation in 2016 is not unlike the current one of Dominic Thiem, who hasn't been able to produce his best tennis since winning the US Open last year.

Thiem has, on more than one occasion, claimed that his recent drop-off is due to a lack of motivation after achieving his lifelong dream. And while speaking in his presser on Tuesday, Djokovic claimed that even though he doesn't know the exact details of the Austrian's situation, he can "relate" to him.

"I don’t know what exactly is the case of Dominic (Thiem), why he felt that way. But I can relate," the Serb said. "These kinds of circumstances that we are living right now in the world are different from back five years when I was experiencing that period or maybe the crisis of motivation a bit."

welcome home 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5YEqRJZWmV

— Dominic Thiem (@ThiemDomi) December 20, 2020

Novak Djokovic then spoke at length about how winning the 2016 French Open led him to reassess his career and life goals. The Serb went on to claim that he had to "sacrifice everything" to achieve what he has in the game.

"For me it was a completely different situation in terms of achieving everything, but then realizing that all that I have achieved professionally doesn’t necessarily guarantee me to have the time that I want with the close ones, the time for myself for some other things that I would like to enjoy in life. I had to really sacrifice everything to get to that point, and I did," the World No. 1 added.

Completing the career Grand Slam in 2016 took "a lot out of me": Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic with the 2016 French Open trophy

Novak Djokovic's triumph over Andy Murray in the 2016 French Open final created history. The win made the Serb the only player since Rod Laver and Ron Budge to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.

On Tuesday Djokovic looked back at his historic feat from five years ago, and claimed that it was "the pinnacle" of his career.

"I held all four Slams, I had many finals in a row," Novak Djokovic said. "I had definitely the best 15 months of my career. Those were the pinnacle moments in my career in terms of results, in how I felt on the court and how well I played."

Djokovic: I came up short againt Nadal and Wawrinka chasing career Slam, but I was always motivated. When I won in 2016, that was the pinnacle moment of my career, best 15 months of my career. Then I had trouble motivating myself, which never happened to me before.

— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) May 11, 2021

The World No. 1 did, however, add that his relief at getting over the line was combined with a lot of exhaustion, both mental and physical. Djokovic admitted that the feat took "a lot out" of him, and that he needed a long time to get over his mental and physical issues.

"When I finally reached it, I felt a huge joy, content and relief, but at the same time also exhaustion," Novak Djokovic said. "It took a lot out of me. I kind of for a year and a half had to recover in terms of emotions. I had an elbow issue and everything. I felt that I basically got back on track in 2018."