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Tennis great Novak Djokovic (L) and director Jason Hehir speak onstage during the “Novak Djokovic: The Wolf In Winter” World Premiere at MOMA on July 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy\/Getty Images for Prime Video)<\/p>\n
Getty Images for Prime Video<\/p>\n
When titling a film about who Novak Djokovic is right now, director Jason Hehir thought about a four-letter word that\u2019s also the name of a four legged animal covered in fur. But it\u2019s not the word that many may think of first when considering Djokovic, the man who has won more singles Grand Slam tennis championships (24) than any other man. No, the name that eventually made it to the title of this latest Hehir-directed film was \u201cwolf\u201d\u2014as in Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter. And watching this film that debuted August 20 on Prime video will give you more insight into how the 39-years-old Djokovic has weathered storms and maintained his remarkable tennis career longevity and where \u201cwolf\u201d might apply to your own health and life. <\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic: Wolf In Winter Represents Where Djokovic Is Right Now<\/p>\n
The wolf, by the way, is the national animal of Serbia, Djokovic\u2019s home country, revered for its courage, cunning and a fierce independent spirit whereas \u201cWinter\u201d could describe where Djokovic is currently in his overall professional tennis playing career, which began in 2003. Djokovic is not exactly a Spring chicken anymore. And Hehir\u2014who had directed the 2020 film The Last Dance that focused on Michael Jordan\u2019s final 1997-1998 season with the Chicago Bulls\u2014did recently emphasize to me, \u201cWe said ‘Let\u2019s make a movie about this guy\u2019 but with the condition that we\u2019re going to make a movie about a moment in time, in his life. We\u2019re not going to try and tell the definitive life story of Novak Djokovic not the least of which reason is that it’s still going on.\u201d <\/p>\n
If you do end up having a long successful career in anything, you will likely eventually face the Winter of it\u2014which as exhibited in the play and film The Lion in Winter is when your abilities, skills and standing have eroded with age and adversity. Such a season can prompt others to constantly wonder and even ask when you are yielding the throne. And the ‘R” word is a question that Djokovic is asked about frequently, which can elicit a big \u201cgrrrrr\u201d from his. <\/p>\n
Djokovic during a sneak preview of the film in New York City in July emphasized how he is not retired yet, emphasizing that he is still \u201cproving to myself that I can still win.\u201d He is doing a good job at it, too, being currently ranked fifth in the world among men\u2019s singles players. He lost in the finals of 2026 Australian Open to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets and the semifinals of Wimbledon to Jannick Sinner, retiring\u2014from just that match and not his career\u2014due to injury. That would be a freaking good year for most tennis players. <\/p>\n
Djokovic At Age 39 Is Seeded Fourth In The 2026 U.S. Open Men\u2019s Singles Draw <\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic of Serbia is seeded fourth in the men’s singles draw of the upcoming 2026 edition of the U.S. Open. (Photo by Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
And Djokovic is going forth\u2014and \u201cfourth\u201d\u2014to play in the 2026 U.S. Open. He is seeded fourth in the men\u2019s singles draw that begins August 30, behind only the 29-year-old Alexander Zverev, the 23-year-old Alcaraz and the 25-year-old F\u00e9lix Auger-Aliassime. The rest of the top ten are all GenZers as well with the exception of the eighth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, who is barely a Millennial at 30 years of age. Being the fourth seed keeps him in the coveted not-meet-anyone-seeded-above-him-until-the-semifinals position, which puts him in a very good position to go forth and conquer his fifth U.S. Open title. <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought to myself, we have the opportunity here to tell the story of a GOAT and his sport when he is still dominant over just about everyone except a couple of guys in the world,\u201d Hehir explained. \u201cAnd what he is grappling with, what drives him\u2014 now that he has accomplished everything there is to accomplish more than any other tennis player has ever accomplished\u2014what drives him to keep on going, and what is pulling at him off the court, which is being a dad, being a husband, pursuing other things outside of tennis.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hehir Found Djokovic To Be ‘Really Intelligent, Really Curious\u2019 <\/p>\n
When Djokovic\u2019s team first talked to Hehir about doing a documentary, Hehir didn\u2019t exactly, umm, \u201cwolf\u201d the possibility up initially. \u201cI am a casual tennis fan, not a fanatic,\u201d recalled Hehir. \u201cSo I knew who Novak was, obviously, but didn\u2019t know much more about him than the average sportsman. So I had my doubts about how difficult he might be to work with because I knew what his reputation was as being kind of obstinate , stubborn and maybe arrogant, you know, all these misconceptions that that drive him crazy.\u201d <\/p>\n
However, over time while \u201ckicking the tires\u201d of this idea, Hehir came to realize that \u201cThis guy is fascinating\u201d and \u201cThat this is a really intelligent, really curious person.\u201d For example, Hehir was struck by how \u201cHe was really curious from the get go about what my approach was to make a film. Like how do you go about it? What\u2019s the research process? How do you decide how many days you\u2019re gonna shoot?\u201d <\/p>\n
Djokovic Pays Attention To The Details Of His Life<\/p>\n
An important detail about Djokovic is how closely he pays attention to all the details of his fitness and health. \u201cI never saw him consume one thing that wasn\u2019t the highest grade, healthy meal or beverage or anything you can have,” recalled Hehir. \u201cThe first time that we met was in Montenegro. It was like 105 degrees at night over there, and he had a drink in front of him that looked like a lemonade and really refreshing.\u201d Hehir naturally asked the waiter for the same thing, and the waiter gave Hehir this OK-are-you-sure type of look. When the waiter did come back with the drink, \u201cIt was tepid, lukewarm celery juice or something like that,\u201d Hehir remarked. \u201cIt was not refreshing at all. It was gross.\u201d <\/p>\n
Djokovic has a chef with a reputation of preparing delicious food who travels with him and makes him \u201cperfectly healthy meals all the time,\u201d in the words of Hehir. \u201cI was excited but we had a salad with no dressing on it and grilled chicken that wasn\u2019t seasoned. It wasn\u2019t anything like you would have at a restaurant.\u201d Djokovic is very disciplined in maintaining such routines. \u201cIf a layman tried to adopt this regimen, they would find it really challenging and nearly impossible,\u201d Hehir mentioned. \u201cBut the impossible is just his mundane at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Lot Of Djokovic\u2019s Daily Life Is Mundane<\/p>\n
Speaking of mundane, there can be a misconception that a top athlete\u2019s is filled with limelight-like stuff. Hehir, though, remarked how mundane Djokovic\u2019s life can be. \u201cI wish I had shocking anecdotes that didn\u2019t make it into the movie,\u201d said Hehir. \u201cA lot of it, as you probably observed with athletes, is boring. It\u2019s getting up, meditating for that half hour, needing a healthy breakfast, hitting balls for an hour and a half, watching film and resting.\u201d <\/p>\n
Proving People Wrong Helps Motivate Djokovic As It Does Michael Jordan<\/p>\n
Another quality of Djokovic\u2019s to Air, so to speak, is something that Jordan also has displayed in abundance. \u201cMichael and Novak are very similar in that there really is nothing more for them to achieve or to prove,\u201d Hehir explained. \u201cAnd yet when you ask them what gets them out of bed in the morning, it\u2019s to prove people wrong.\u201d Hehir related how Jordan had said the thing that he missed most about playing in the NBA was \u201cproving people wrong. Now, at what point did people doubt Michael Jordan?\u201d <\/p>\n
Similarly, how many people are going to tell Djokovic that he\u2019s only won 10 Australian Open titles, seven Wimbledon titles, four U.S. Open titles and four French Open titles and doubt whether he\u2019ll ever make anything of himself as a tennis player? \u201cSo these guys now have to conjure up doubt in thin air, conjure a motivation,\u201d Hehir explained. \u201cIn Novak\u2019s case, he has to look into the crowd and find someone who was booing him or find someone who was talking smack, and dedicate the rest of the match to proving that person wrong or shutting that person up. And he revels in that, loves it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Both Hehir and Djokovic mentioned Djokovic ability to pick out that one person booing him in a crowd of thousands cheering for him. \u201cThere is a word in Serbian called inat,\u201d Djokovic explained during the movie screening. \u201cWhen people doubt you, when everyone is basically against you, that\u2019s when you use that inat, that force of stubbornness to prove everybody wrong. That inat is actually quite widespread in the mentality of Serbian people.\u201d He also mentions inat in the following trailer of the movie:<\/p>\n
When Djokovic was told that 90 percent of the people in focus groups who had watched The Wolf in Winter thought more highly of him afterwards, Djokovic initial response was like \u201cWhat about the 10 percent?\u201d That\u2019s even though a 90 percent score is grand slam high and would more than satisfy most. But again Djokovic is not like most people.<\/p>\n
Djokovic\u2019s Experiences Have Helped Shaped His Current Approach<\/p>\n
Even though the film is not meant to tell the entire story of Djokovic\u2019s life, to understand the present you do have to understand at least a little of his past. So, the film does show snippets of Djokovic\u2019s childhood growing up in war-torn Belgrade. You\u2019ll see some of the sacrifices that his family made and how Djokovic\u2019s tennis talent represented a way out for them, how at a young age a lot was swinging on Djokovic\u2019s ability to swing a racket. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith Novak, his childhood was so fraught with danger and fear and a realization that tomorrow is never promised,\u201d Hehir said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t know how that that connects to his competitiveness or his monomaniacal focus. I do think there\u2019s a desire to be loved and appreciated.\u201d The film does present a more vulnerable side of Djokovic, one that people packing a tennis stadium may not see and one that Djokovic may not have always been game to serve up publicly. But to fully understand and appreciate what Djokovic has achieved on the court, it does help to see this different spin on who he is. <\/p>\n
Djokovic Himself Focuses On The Here And Now<\/p>\n
It is fitting, though, that The Wolf in Winter focuses on the here and now with Djokovic and neither the past nor the present. Because that\u2019s what Djokovic does. As Hehir related, \u201cI have noticed in dealing with elite athletes, that maybe their greatest superpower is their ability to live in the present and not dwell on past mistakes or disappointments, and not fear what\u2019s to come.\u201d Hehir went on to say, \u201cMost of us don\u2019t have that ability.\u201d Hehir emphasized that beyond the elite athletic ability, Djokovic, if he\u2019s down 40-15, 5-3, in the fifth set of a major, would be able to focus solely on how to win the next point whereas \u201cMost of us would think, \u2018[bleep], if I miss this next point, it\u2019s over.\u2019” Only after that point is done will Djokovic move on to the next point.<\/p>\n
Hehir also noted that \u201cHe doesn\u2019t really dwell on things that happen in the past. If you prime enough, he\u2019ll talk about the past, but he\u2019s not an open book and not giving you anecdotes about the past unless you really earn that trust.\u201d <\/p>\n
Speaking of the past and the future, even though Djokovic may be in the Winter of his tennis playing career, don\u2019t expect to put his career on ice anytime soon. Who knows whether this Winter will last one, two or many more years. The past of tennis doesn\u2019t really apply because Djokovic has already proven that he is an anomaly. In his longevity in the sport, he is after all a lone wolf. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tennis great Novak Djokovic (L) and director Jason Hehir speak onstage during the “Novak Djokovic: The Wolf In…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56184,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1086,366,9908,5860,139,606,28,19444,1037,463,21059],"class_list":["post-56183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us-open","tag-djokovic","tag-grand-slam","tag-jason-hehir","tag-novak","tag-novak-djokovic","tag-serbia","tag-tennis","tag-the-last-dance","tag-u-s-open","tag-us-open","tag-wolf-in-winter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}