"I did have a special part of my closet where I kept white-only clothes" - Novak Djokovic opens up about visualizing Wimbledon success as a child

Novak Djokovic's desire to become the most decorated champion in Wimbledon history is no secret, and the Serb is not far away from achieving that dream. The holder of seven titles at SW19, Djokovic will equal Roger Federer's men's record of eight trophies at SW19 this fortnight.

Overall, Martina Navratilova is the record holder at Wimbledon, with nine women's singles titles. Given the pace at which Djokovic is going, it's another record that looks well within reach of the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

In a recent interview with GQ, Novak Djokovic recalled how he visualized his success at Wimbledon as a child, making a trophy out of random materials at home and imagining himself as a champion in front of the mirror.

In fact, the World No. 2 admitted to having a special part of his closet where he only kept while-only clothes, keeping in line with the traditional Wimbledon dress code. The former World No. 1 went as far as to write a little 'W' next to them -- to constantly remind himself of Wimbledon.

“I really visualised it strongly, and I knew somewhere deep inside that that's going to become a reality one day. I wasn't in full whites! I was probably in my undies, too focused on the trophy and on the goal rather than the outfit,” Djokovic said.

“But it's funny you asked me that, because I did have a special part of my closet in my bedroom where I kept white-only clothes. And I wrote a little W next to it because it reminded me of Wimbledon,” he added.

Interestingly, Novak Djokovic, who is sponsored by Lacoste, spoke about how he picks his outfits for other tournaments, revealing that he always chose colors that blended with the surface or the background.

While the Serb admitted that they only made a very minor difference, he wanted to seize any advantage, however small, he could get his hands on on the court.

"Aesthetically you want it to look nice, and I try to keep my posture right ... but I always think of a camouflage aspect too. I always want to blend with the colours of the court, the surface or the background because it does play a role (however minor) in the match, the peripheral vision has an effect when you play because it's a very dynamic game, and everything happens really quick,” Djokovic said.

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"There's no advertisements around, it's all about tennis and style and history" - Novak Djokovic on Wimbledon sticking by its traditional aspects

Day One: The Championships - Wimbledon 2023

Despite the fact that he cannot wear coloured clothing at Wimbledon, where the dress code is quite strict, Novak Djokovic isn't too bothered. Instead, the 23-time Grand Slam champion is glad that SW19 has kept its tradition and made itself all about just the tennis and history.

“We all know that Wimbledon is all white, and we all love that about Wimbledon because it's kept its tradition. There's no advertisements around. It's all about tennis and style and history," Djokovic said. “And strawberries.”

In pursuit of his eighth title at Wimbledon, the World No. 2 has reached the second round, beating Pedro Cachin in straight sets in his opener. Up next, he takes on Jordan Thompson of Australia.