Olympic golfer credits Novak Djokovic's mantra for bounce-back during competition

Although Novak Djokovic is a force to be reckoned with in the world of tennis, his mindset seems to have influenced other sports, as illustrated by Mexican golfer Gaby Lopez during the 2024 Olympic Games.

Lopez found herself struggling on Wednesday at the Le Golf National during the Paris Olympics, with a bogey at the par-5 ninth and another bogey after barely missing her drive at the 12th. However, she rallied with three birdies on the final holes to finish her day at two-under-70 and in a tie for third after 18 holes.

The Mexican athlete was on the verge of defeat, but rallied to climb up the leaderboard and is currently competing for the Bronze medal. At the conclusion of the day's events, Lopez cited the 24-time Grand Slam champion as motivation for her incredible comeback.

"Novak Djokovic says it all the time: ‘It's not how or what we have or what we get, it's how we react,’” said Lopez. “I made a really hurtful mistake and 12 is just really hard, and you know, mistakes are going to come. You’ve just got to stay calm and kind of talk to yourself very nicely and very kindly."

Although Lopez was supported by spurred on by several compatriots waving the Mexican flag, she admitted to relying on her positive thinking and self-belief, two traits that are shared by Novak Djokovic.

“It’s not work that I’ve done this week,” she said, after finishing with five birdies and ranking third in the field in strokes gained/putting. (She made 95 feet of putts for the day, including nearly 25 feet in her last three holes.) “I think calmness and patience pays off today, next month, in six months, in a year.
"It's just a matter of how you train yourself to kind of be optimistic even in tough conditions, and obviously it turned around pretty quickly for me. It's not about just the outcome for me. It's actually what it gives me and how much I can inspire the next generation.”