
Bala Bites (1/24/25): Novak Djokovic
Hello Bala fam,
Here's a story about Novak Djokovic you can't afford to miss.
It's is as much about the power of changing one's diet as it is about not living life on autopilot.
Much has been written about Djokovic's story here and here but it's still such a little known story.
You see early in his career, Djokovic would collapse physically mid-match.
He was a top-ranked player but his performances were disappointing relative to the amount of raw talent he had.
Djokovic's team thought he was battling:
- asthma
- exhaustion
- digestive problems
Anything, you name it and it was on the table.
In 2010, a nutritionist took interest in Djokovic.
He watched him compete in a game and witnessed one of these collapses.
The nutritionist saw something Djokovic didn't.
That nutritionist, Dr. Igor Cetojevic, met with Djokovic and laid out his theory—that Djokovic was sensitive to gluten and dairy.
In other words, his diet was the culprit.
Djokovic was initially reluctant to change his diet.
He didn't want to give up staples like pasta and bread.
His family had a pizzeria business after all.
But Djokovic agreed to a two-week gluten-free diet and the results were immediate: improved sleep, increased energy and better movement on the court.
After reintroducing gluten briefly and experiencing fatigue, Djokovic became fully committed to his dietary change.
After some time on the new diet, Djokovic evolved into the title-winning machine he's known to be.
Djokovic credits his shift in diet as the "X factor" that allowed his body to perform optimally.
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I doubt anyone on this newsletter list has Djokovic's level of athletic talent.
But imagine what you could unlock in your life if you gave yourself a 2-week reset like Djokovic.
You'd likely cut out different foods things than Djokovic but the results could be just as enlightening.
- Better sleep
- A faster mind
- Quicker recoveries
- An overall elevated life
And for those who quickly reject the idea of it, it may be worth exploring why?
When I read Djokovic's story, I see a story about not living life on autopilot.
He could have been content pre-2010 because he was already a top-ranked tennis player in the world.
But he chose to live life based on his internal cues, not external cues, and went after "better".
I hope in this first month of 2025, you choose change over autopilot.
The outcome could be just as fantastic as Djokovic's.