Towpath review of Novak Djokovic's "Serve to Win"

Barbara Youel | Towpath Member | Contributor

Serve to Win: The 14 Day Gluten-Free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence 

by Novak Djokovic (Zinc Ink, 2013)

Forward by William Davis, M.D. 

Book rating: 

“…I have a very simple diet: vegetables, beans, white meat, fish, and fruit. Most of the food is natural and hasn’t been processed.”  This pretty much sums up tennis superstar Novak Djokovic’s way of eating since he made drastic changes to his diet in 2010. This very readable memoir takes the reader back to his upbringing in Serbia, his family’s struggles during the NATO bombings of his native Belgrade, his unlikely path to professional tennis, and his climb to ATP’s No. 1 in the tennis world after he changed what he ate.

Too Much, Too Little, Too Wrong

The tie that binds all of these is food…too much, too little, or too wrong. Djokovic remembers eating lots of bread and dairy, and especially pizza (wheat crusts, cheese, tomatoes) with abandon at his parents’ pizza parlor, The Red Bull.  He also reports having to live on simple fare during the bombings, and then eating as he wished as wealth and fame came through professional tennis.  When his persistent health issues showed up time and again during matches despite his excellent physical condition and training regime, neither he nor his doctors could determine what was wrong.

Enter the Right Doctor

As recently as 2010, Dr. Igor Cetojevic, while watching Djokovic play at the Australian Open from his home in Cyprus, (8,700 miles away) knew what was wrong with this distressed player…his digestive system was causing breathing problems. The two men quickly connected and devised a new plan for his eating which according to Djokovic, led to his record season in 2011. (In all fairness, Djokovic was already competing and winning at the highest levels before his diagnosis of gluten sensitivity – his natural abilities and superior conditioning however, surely contributed to his success)

Gluten-Free at Last

 Djokovic admits that a gluten-free existence, while perfect for him, is not for everybody, and encourages readers to find “what’s slowing you down?” His humble and friendly approach in this memoir avoids a “preachy” tone, which from his world-class athletic status would be easy to assume and even forgivable. Djokovic reminds the reader that he is no doctor nor nutritionist, but shares what works for him in a weekly menu plan, plus easy–to-make recipes from “The Champion’s Plate” that include breakfasts, smoothies, lunches, snacks, and dinners. 

A Realistic Invitation to Try

Novak Djokovic invites the reader to try his plan for just two weeks. There are no magic pills, potions, or promises here. In our current culture, laden with fad diets and ‘easy’ fixes, two weeks seem to be reasonable enough. I admit that my view of this tennis superstar changed after reading Serve to Win.  I see now a more serious, committed, and aware person, grateful for his life, his loves, his heritage. While he didn’t achieve his goal at the 2014 French Open, he is walking the talk. “All you have to do is try. And to me the worst kind of defeat is not failure pre se. It’s the decision not to try.” Well spoken, Nole!

Special note: After reading Serve to Win, as well as The Wheat Belly Diet by Dr. William Davis (father of Cleveland local and junior tennis prodigy Lauren Davis), Towpath owners Dallas and Nancy Aleman have since made the commitment to a gluten free diet and have already lost 10lbs! 

(Serve to Win is available at local bookstores, public libraries, and online.)

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Play as good as you practice

Dallas Aleman | Towpath Tennis Owner | Tennis Guru

Why is it that you can play well in practice or in a lesson and then when you play a match, you play poorly at times?

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It may be the way you practice or the type of lesson you take. If your practice partner or pro is always hitting the ball back in your strike zone where your strokes are grooving, then you are preparing yourself for only one type of ball. You are essentially ‘playing catch’ where no ball really challenges you. This type of practice is great to correct a defective stroke but it’s not so good for preparing you for matches.

During actual competition, you are going to see the player that hits with spin, drop shots, uses the whole court, or the dreaded moon ball. They are your nightmare and you are cannon fodder for them. That is unless you know how to turn things around to your advantage. By beating the enemy you must learn their game and if you can’t seem to figure it out during practices, then match play is your best bet. Challenge yourself to find those types of shots and players that don’t just ‘play catch’ with you.

When you find yourself struggling against a player that doesn’t fall into your catching game, remind yourself this--you learn to improve the best when you are struggling in an uncomfortable situation.

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Mental Toughness Tip: Positive Visualization

Dallas Aleman | Towpath Tennis Owner | Tennis Guru

Do you find yourself freezing up at critical points, playing great in practice but lousy in competition, or letting self-doubt creep into the back of your mind? Guess what, we ALL do! Even the pros have their mental meltdowns at times. Your mind controls your body so the key is to train your mind to work for you.

Competitive play should be a happy positive experience where improving is the goal. Many of the struggles with getting better relate to how you visualize your upcoming matches, since the active imagination has no trouble envisioning the negative outcomes. The thing is, positive visualization doesn't actually decrease your chances of failing, but it does increase the odds of success.

Anyone can tell you to think positively but sometimes that's easier said than done. Whether your slumping during a match or having trouble sleeping the night before a big tournament, take this as an opportunity to try these positive visualization techniques.

• Imagine yourself loose, even if that means physically shaking out your legs and arms.
• Visualize hitting the perfect shot; an ace out wide, a forehand down the line, an overhead smash-whatever gets you going.
• Repeat the image in your mind of your perfect shot over and over and over again. 
• Envision the win. Don't get me wrong, you don't want to jump the gun but allowing yourself to see the end result is encouraging.   

These and many more positive thoughts are the way you create pathways and environments where a winning environment can take place. This not only programs your mind to think positively, but it will help you gain confidence and belief that just because your down 0-5 in a match, you can still come back and win-it's happened! So continue testing out these positive visualization techniques and let us know, does it work for you?


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