What is Novak Djokovic's diet ? Check out the Serb's recipe for success and how he has evolved his eating habits 

Arguably the greatest athlete in tennis over the last decade, Novak Djokovic's recipe for success involves limiting sugar, avoiding dairy products and most importantly staying away from gluten. His diet is based on vegetables, beans, white meat, fish, fruit, nuts, seeds, chickpeas, lentils and healthy oils.

From being a player with frequent fitness issues in his early career to becoming a pinnacle of wellness, wellbeing, health and clean nutrition, the Serb has combined stamina and strength with speed and flexibility to stay at the top of the game.

The 36-year-old has also released a book in which he thoroughly details the extreme sacrifices he makes in pursuit of physical excellence.

Serve To Win, the 14-day Gluten-Free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence explains how Djokovic attributes his career success to the gluten-free diet he converted to three years ago.

"My life changed because I had begun to eat the right foods for my body, in the way that my body demanded," Djokovic stated in the book

"Every morning I wake up ... I drink a glass of water and do my stretching, maybe mixed with some yoga or tai chi, for 20 minutes. I eat a breakfast perfectly calibrated to my body for the day ahead - the same breakfast almost every day of my life," Djokovic writes in the book

Djokovic is so dedicated to his diet that he avoids eating chocolate even after a monumental win. Here's a detailed look at the diet of the 21-time Grand Slam champion:

Day One

Breakfast Water first thing out of bed; two tablespoons of honey; muesli (including organic gluten-free rolled oats, cranberries, raisins, pumpkin or sunflower seeds and almonds)

Mid-morning snack (if needed): Gluten-free bread or crackers with avocado and tuna

Lunch Mixed-greens salad, gluten-free pasta primavera (including rice pasta, summer squash, courgettes, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and optional vegan cheese)

Mid-afternoon snack Apple with cashew butter; melon

Dinner Kale caesar salad (kale, fennel, quinoa and pine nuts) plus dressing (including anchovies or sardines); minestrone; salmon filets (skin on) with roasted tomatoes and marinade

Day Two

Breakfast Water first thing out of bed; two tablespoons of honey; banana with cashew butter; fruit

Mid-morning snack (if needed): Gluten-free toast with almond butter and honey

Lunch Mixed-greens salad, spicy soba noodle salad (including gluten-free soba noodles, red bell pepper, rocket, cashews and basil leaves, plus spicy vinaigrette)

Mid-afternoon snack Fruit and nut bar; fruit

Dinner Tuna Nicoise salad (green beans, cannellini beans, rocket, tuna, red pepper, tomatoes and canned chickpeas), tomato soup, roasted tomatoes

Day three

Breakfast Water first thing out of bed; two tablespoons of honey; gluten-free oats with cashew butter and bananas; fruit

Mid-morning snack (if needed): Home-made hummus (including chickpeas and gluten-free soy sauce) with apples/crudités

Lunch Mixed-greens salad, gluten-free pasta with power pesto (including rice pasta, walnuts and basil leaves)

Mid-afternoon snack Avocado with gluten-free crackers; fruit

Dinner Fresh mixed-greens salad with avocado and homemade dressing; carrot and ginger soup; whole lemon-roasted chicken.

How a consultation with Dr Igor Cetojevic, a nutritionist and fellow Serb, changed Novak Djokovic's life

Dr. Igor Cetojevic with Novak Djokovic

While representing Serbia at the 2010 Davis Cup, Djokovic discovered why he had suffered so many mid-match collapses in his career. After watching the Serb struggle with his fitness during matches, Igor Catojevic conducted a crude test to determine whether he was sensitive to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other bread grains.

Subsequent blood tests showed that the World No. 5 was strongly intolerant to wheat and dairy products and mildly sensitive to tomatoes. Being told to stop eating bread and cheese and cut down on tomatoes was not the best news for someone whose parents owned a pizza restaurant, but the open-minded Djokovic instantly agreed to give it a go.

Bread and pasta are stapled foods in Serbia, but Cetojevic asked Djokovic to try a new gluten-free diet for two weeks. The effect was immediate. He felt lighter and more energetic and slept better than he had ever done. When Cetojevic suggested after a week that he should eat a bagel, 0the negative impact was startling. He felt sluggish and dizzy as if he had a hangover.

When he switched permanently to the diet, the benefits quickly followed. Within 12 months, the Serb was 11 pounds (5kilos) lighter while feeling stronger and healthier. Ever since following the regime, he has felt fresher, more alert, more energetic and mentally sharper. The lifestyle change also led to him becoming World No. 1 a year later.