I (Michael) started to focus a lot more on the mental side of the game. I’ve always been one to include the mental side of the game with all of my players the whole way through, but particularly in the last two or three years. It’s what I focus on the most because I believe the mental side of the game is the last frontier that hasn’t been explored as much as every other area of nutrition or strength and conditioning and all of those kinds of things that are associated with the physical side of it. I think Novak Djokovic at the moment is alluding to the importance of the mental side of tennis. I read in a magazine the other day that Djokovic said that there’s no limits to what he can do and he’s very much in that mental, almost spiritual space.

Once I gain the respect and the trust from the player to start looking into the mental side of the game and to look at the environment they live in I try to dive deep as it’s quite interesting, how much impact the family environment can have on the mind of a player on court.

So, I think Novak Djokovic will take the mental game to a new height in the next few years. If I read it properly, that’s what most coaches are going to have to do with the players that are coming up. So, I’ve changed my mind from just focusing purely for the first year of working with somebody, say, on the physical and tactical side to now implementing the mental strategies or getting to know somebody mentally once I have their trust and respect.

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