Novak Djokovic wanted to quit tennis after 2010 Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic has become one of the best tennis players ever to play the game but back in 2010 he almost left the sport after a crushing defeat at the French Open.

The name Novak Djokovic is known around the globe and for good reason. He is one of the greatest, some would even say the greatest, to ever play the game of tennis. He is certainly the most dominant player in the past several years which he demonstrated at the 2021 Australian Open which he once again one. Despite all that success, there were hard moments and one of the hardest came in 2010 when he lost to Jurgen Melzer at the French Open. He recently spoke about that moment on the Make it to fake it podcast:

“I have experienced some huge challenges during my career when I wanted to leave tennis. Back in 2010 when I lost in one quarterfinal match at Roland Garros I felt like my world was falling apart and my dreams were shattered, and I was not good enough to achieve what I wanted to achieve."

He continued explaining what had transpired after the loss:

“I was sobbing and I was crying in my coach’s room and I was just really in a bad place. I was suffering, emotionally, a lot, because I just felt like I had hit the wall and I can’t go any further. They (his team) let me cry and let me liberate all these emotions that I was experiencing and I am so grateful for that because that was such a key moment there."

For Djokovic, Marian Vajda is a man of immense importance. Not only did he shape him as a person and player he also proved key in 2010 as well. It was him who uplifted Djokovic and told him to continue on believing in him fully. Speaking about him and coaching in tennis in general, Novak said:

“The narrative in the sports world is that a coach has to be someone that uplifts you, shows you that you have to be stronger when you feel weak. For me, the best coaches are the ones who are there for you as friends and human beings, who are your shoulder to cry on and lean on, people who understand you and let you spill your guts out when that is what you need.”