Novak Djokovic says that hugging trees in the neighbouring Botanical Gardens is the key to his amazing performance at the Australian Open.

To tie Margaret Court’s record and surpass the Australian legend with a 25th Grand Slam victory, the Serbian star is the overwhelming favourite to win an 11th singles title here. The world No. 1 says Melbourne Park is his favourite venue, as he won his first major title there in 2008.

Djokovic expressed his thoughts in a press conference and said: “I’m not superstitious. I do like to visit certain places that have brought me luck and made me feel good. For example, the Botanical Gardens are just nearby; it’s a wonderful park where I like to spend time and just be by myself in nature, just grounding, hugging trees, climbing trees, and stuff. I love to do that. So I’ve done that for the last 15 years. Whether that’s the secret of success here in Australia or not, I don’t know, but it has made me feel good.”

He further said: “Obviously, during the Grand Slams, you have lots of challenges, mental, physical, and emotional. There’s a lot of activity happening even on the days when you don’t have matches. It’s good to have places where you can just rewind, relax, rejuvenate, and kind of gather all the necessary energy for the next day. I like to isolate a bit more. It just allows me to relax and recharge. I like that kind of balance because Grand Slams are a completely different kind of energy and vibe tournament than any other event that we have on the tour.”

Novak Djokovic in 2024

Ranked no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 3^rd of January when he lost to world no.10 Alex De Minaur 6-4 6-4 in the quarter in Australia (draw).

This season Novak has a 2-1 record.

Djokovic will play next at the Australian Open (Australian Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 14th of January.