Novak Djokovic shared a pretty stunning story about how disciplined he was during the breakthrough period of his career as the Serb once nearly went two full years without eating a chocolate.
After becoming a Grand Slam champion at the 2008 Australian Open, the Serb struggled to beat Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the biggest tournaments.
That was until 2011, when Djokovic won every Grand Slam outside the French Open. That same year, the Serbian tennis star also reached the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career.
If you can recall, at the start of 2012, Djokovic clinched his first back-to-back Australian Open titles after edging out Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5) 7-5 in a marathon that was seven minutes short of entering its sixth hour.
Now, the 38-year-old reveals that in mid-2010, he stopped eating chocolate. And after winning one of the greatest Grand Slam finals in tennis history, he requested one thing – wanted a single square of chocolate.
Djokovic: I broke one tiny square and let it melt on my tongue… That was I allowed myself
"How much discipline? In January 2012, I beat Nadal in the finals of the Australian Open. The match lasted five hours and fifty-three minutes – the longest match in Australian Open history, and the longest Grand Slam singles final in the Open Era. Many commentators have called that match the single greatest tennis match of all time," the 38-year-old recalled.
"After I won, I sat in the locker room in Melbourne. I wanted one thing: to taste chocolate. I hadn't tasted it since the summer of 2010. Miljan brought me a candy bar. I broke off one square-one tiny square — and popped it into my mouth, let it melt on my tongue. That was all I would allow myself. That is what it has taken to get to No. 1."
Novak Djokovic on the discipline required to be the best:
"I wanted one thing: to taste chocolate. I hadn't tasted it since the summer of 2010. I broke off one square — one tiny square — and popped it into my mouth, let it melt on my tongue. That was all I would allow myself.… pic.twitter.com/Kk4dqrHbk7
— Danny (@DjokovicFan_) December 26, 2025
Djokovic's diet and lifestyle have been well-documented over the years. After getting to 24 Grand Slams and beating out Nadal and Federer in the Major race, the Serb noted that staying healthy and strong for so long allowed him to get to the greatest record.
Djokovic has struggled over the last two seasons to overcome the Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner challenge, but he is still one of the best in the game.
