Novak Djokovic is regarded as one of the mentally strong players on the tour. Djokovic is known to keep himself in the moment and he has won some of the biggest matches in his career by staying mentally ahead of his opponent, which is key to success in a sport like Tennis.

Djokovic gave credit to his childhood hardships for becoming a mentally strong player. The Serbian revealed that his parents suffered a lot just to be able to eat in a war-torn country because of the Yugoslav war but they gave him the exposure to play the sport he loved.

“I think it has a lot to do with the environment I grew up in. As I have told you before, I grew up in the ’90s in Serbia, with wars, sanctions, and difficult times to live. My parents suffered a lot just to be able to eat. I have been lucky to belong to this sport, which is not cheap. I fell in love with tennis and my parents helped me, even though it was extremely difficult for them,”Djokovic was quoted as saying by Punto de Break.

“It comes from appreciating life and these kinds of circumstances, knowing what it feels like to have nothing and then have so much in life. That gives you perspective to respect everything that comes with a more positive and humble attitude. It’s not always something that helps me, but it makes it prevail when I use it,” he added.

Meanwhile, the former World No.1 has reached the final of the Tel Aviv tournament. The Serbian bested Roman Safiullin 6-1, 7-6(3) in the semifinal contest and he is yet to drop a single set in the competition.

Djokovic will play against Marin Cilic in the final. The Serbian holds an 18-2 advantage against the Croatian in the head-to-head.