"Novak Djokovic is at the top of his game" - After working around other players, mental health specialist explains what sets the 'legend' apart

Mental health specialist Brendon Stubbs has suggested that Novak Djokovic's devotion to his mental fitness sets him apart from other tennis players on tour.

Brendon Stubbs is a scholar at King's College London and has 500 publications on various aspects of physiotherapy and mental health under his belt. He has also held sessions with top male and female tennis players, including Djokovic, Belinda Bencic, and Alex de Minaur.

Stubbs recently sat down for a chat with Sarah Ann for an episode of the Live Well Be Well podcast. He recalled his meeting with the Serb and said (19:23):

"Novak is at the top of his game, at the peak. It’s really interesting because I’ve spent a lot of time around some of the tennis players this summer and some tournaments previously with elite players."

Stubbs spoke from his experience that even though the margins of difference between male and female players are tiny, the ability to be sound mentally while playing on the court differentiates "absolute legends" like Djokovic from great players.

"If you look at the sort of physical capabilities, speeds, reaction times, the fitness… there’s tiny tiny margins that are different between the top female and male players. But when you sort of get into the crux of the matches, you see the same players consistently going way over," Stubbs said.

"Novak has been a great example. It's that sort of mental edge, sort of that confidence and that inner battle or mind control which really does separate the amazing players from the absolute legends," Stubbs added.

Stubbs further praised the 24-time Grand Slam champion's attention to his physical and mental well-being.

"It’s great to hear some of his insights around how seriously he takes all of the stuff we’re talking around in terms of looking after his mind, looking after his body, starting the day with meditation, mindfulness and really look at his whole body as one, it’s amazing," he concluded.

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Novak Djokovic - "Mentally there is probably a lot more that I’m dealing with in my private life"

Novak Djokovic

During his successful US Open campaign this year, Novak Djokovic stated that he is now required to dig deeper than he did at age 26 to produce match-winning performances on a regular basis.

“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,” the Serb said during the press conference after defeating Taylor Fritz.

The 36-year-old lifted his career's 24th Grand Slam trophy in September at Flushing Meadows. He overcame a number of younger players including Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Daniil Medvedev en route to his ground-breaking achievement of winning the most Major trophies in the Open Era.