Being in the present moment

Djokovic 

World’s No. 1, Serbian player Novak Djokovic won the Wimbledon Championship for the second successive year last Sunday. Though he didn’t lose a single match during the 2015 tournament, there were a few anxious moments, particularly when he lost the first two games in one and yet managed to come back and win the next three and seal the set. What is the secret of his success?

When asked by a tennis writer, Djokovic answered: “I try to put myself only in the present moment, not fight against the thoughts and the pressure and the excitement, but just acknowledge them and be aware of present thoughts but also try to keep my composure and calm. I try to just be in the moment and enjoy.”

Chris Green reporting in the British newspaper, ‘The Independent’ writes that Djokovic’s mental toughness is a technique he has refined through meditation .When he is at Wimbledon, he uses a nearby Buddhist temple as his refuge.

Djokovic has been using the four-acre site of the Thai tradition Buddhapadipa Temple which is only a five-minute walk from the All England Club, where Wimbledon Championships are played, for quiet contemplation for several years. Chris G. quotes the head monk of the temple, Bhatsakorn Piyobhaso as saying “Novak came here on his own. He just walked in and said hello to the people here and went on to meditate on his own.”

According to the news feature Djokovic is usually seen early in the morning when the grounds are quiet. He is respectful of the surroundings but does not speak to the monks. “Sometimes he asks our staff to open the main temple for him, so he can get inside and sit still for a while there,” said the monk. “I think he’s learned how to meditate on his own. He walks around the temple and spends one or two hours alone. He just comes to the temple to enjoy nature, the peace and the beautiful environment. ”

Saying that it is easy to see why the world No. 1 chooses to visit the temple, the writer describes the peaceful environment: “Beginning at a red bell tower, a shady walkway weaves between trees and across several arched wooden bridges before ascending a grand, white staircase to the red-and-gold temple overlooking the site. Inside are intricate murals and a floor strewn with Buddha statues and candles. The temple is so close to the All England Club that cheers can be heard, perhaps allowing the Serb to visualise his own victory.”

He quotes a few Buddhist sayings engraved on wooden signs in the temple. “One should not pry into the faults of others, into things done and left undone by others. One should rather consider what by oneself is done and left undone,” reads one. “Though one may conquer a thousand men in battle, the one who conquers himself is the greater warrior,” another says – or in tennis terms: concentrate on your own game.

Professional tennis players often say the best way to play is point-by-point, rather than worrying about the set just lost and the mountain to climb. According to the head monk, meditation is helpful for this as it focuses the mind on solving “the problem in front of you”. He says of Djokovic:  “I think meditation helps him to develop concentration: to keep focused, especially when playing tennis. Just focusing on the now: that’s the benefit of meditation.”

Djokovic is a Christian as his gestures after winning the championship showed. He also knelt and kissed the soil, picked up a few blades of grass and started chewing them. “It tastes good and it has brought me lot of happiness,” he said laughing when he was asked why he ate the grass by the interviewer after the match.