Djokovic: 'Hard work beats talent every day'

ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi says he is happy to see Novak Djokovic back competing and has expressed hope to see the Serb playing regular tour events.

Gaudenzi did not want to criticize Djokovic's views on the vaccine but noted that the ATP recommends vaccination for all its players.

"My wish is to see Novak healthy and happy on tour," Gaudenzi told Spox, quoted by Sportskeeda. "As one of our greatest champions, he makes a huge impact at every event he plays. Right now it's a shame his vaccination status seems to prevent him from being able to make it to certain tournaments.

For our part, we can only continue to insist that we recommend vaccination to all our players." Djokovic began his 2022 season last week in Dubai, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Jiri Vesely. "Unfortunately, it wasn't my day.

“I congratulate Jiri. He has played better. He went for his shots. His serve was great. His whole game was great," Djokovic said after the loss, according to Sasa Ozmo. Djokovic blamed the lack of matches for his surprising loss to Vesely.

“The more matches I play, the more comfortable I feel on the court. I haven't had many matches in the last few months," Djokovic pointed out. "I'll have to follow the situation, see how it goes. Whenever I have the opportunity to play, I will (smiles).

I hope it will be soon." Also, Djokovic underlined that he is still motivated to win and upset after a loss. "Of course I am still motivated and upset when I lose a match."

Djokovic also restated  his view that talent counts for only a "small percentage" of the end result in life, while arguing that the rest is determined by one's "workload."

In an interview with L'Equipe, as reported by We Love Tennis, Djokovic revealed that he does believe in talent, but suggested it is only a small factor in success. "People tend to forget," Djokovic said. "They say to themselves: 'He has talent.'

“What is talent? Yes, I believe in talent. Some people don't believe in talent, I do. Let's say it's a genetic advantage, but talent is only a small percentage of the end result. The rest is workload. 'Hard works beats talent every day', as [people] say in the United States.

And that's true."