How Novak Djokovic ‘The Wolf In Winter’ Could Win The 2026 U.S. Open

Tennis awesome Novak Djokovic (L) and head Jason Hehir speak onstage during the "Novak Djokovic: The Wolf In Winter" World Premiere astatine MOMA connected July 16, 2026 successful New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Prime Video)

Getty Images for Prime Video

When titling a movie astir who Novak Djokovic is correct now, head Jason Hehir thought astir a four-letter connection that’s besides the sanction of a 4 legged animal covered successful fur. But it’s not the connection that galore whitethorn deliberation of first erstwhile considering Djokovic, the man who has won much singles Grand Slam tennis championships (24) than immoderate different man. No, the sanction that yet made it to the title of this latest Hehir-directed movie was “wolf”—as successful Novak Djokovic: The Wolf successful Winter. And watching this movie that debuted August 20 connected Prime video will springiness you much penetration into really the 39-years-old Djokovic has weathered storms and maintained his singular tennis profession longevity and wherever “wolf” mightiness use to your ain wellness and life.

Novak Djokovic: Wolf In Winter Represents Where Djokovic Is Right Now

The wolf, by the way, is the nationalist animal of Serbia, Djokovic’s location country, revered for its courage, cunning and a fierce independent tone whereas “Winter” could picture wherever Djokovic is presently successful his wide master tennis playing career, which began successful 2003. Djokovic is not precisely a Spring chickenhearted anymore. And Hehir—who had directed the 2020 movie The Last Dance that focused connected Michael Jordan’s last 1997-1998 play pinch the Chicago Bulls—did precocious stress to me, “We said 'Let’s make a movie astir this guy’ but pinch the information that we’re going to make a movie astir a infinitesimal successful time, successful his life. We’re not going to effort and show the definitive life communicative of Novak Djokovic not the slightest of which logic is that it's still going on.”

If you do extremity up having a agelong successful profession successful anything, you will apt yet look the Winter of it—which arsenic exhibited successful the play and movie The Lion successful Winter is erstwhile your abilities, skills and opinionated person eroded pinch property and adversity. Such a play tin punctual others to perpetually wonderment and moreover inquire erstwhile you are yielding the throne. And the 'R" connection is simply a mobility that Djokovic is asked astir frequently, which tin elicit a large “grrrrr” from his.

Djokovic during a sneak preview of the movie successful New York City successful July emphasized really he is not retired yet, emphasizing that he is still “proving to myself that I tin still win.” He is doing a bully occupation astatine it, too, being presently classed 5th successful the world among men’s singles players. He mislaid successful the finals of 2026 Australian Open to Carlos Alcaraz successful 4 sets and the semifinals of Wimbledon to Jannick Sinner, retiring—from conscionable that lucifer and not his career—due to injury. That would beryllium a freaking bully twelvemonth for astir tennis players.

Djokovic At Age 39 Is Seeded Fourth In The 2026 U.S. Open Men’s Singles Draw

And Djokovic is going forth—and “fourth”—to play successful the 2026 U.S. Open. He is seeded 4th successful the men’s singles tie that originates August 30, down only the 29-year-old Alexander Zverev, the 23-year-old Alcaraz and the 25-year-old Félix Auger-Aliassime. The remainder of the apical 10 are each GenZers arsenic good pinch the objection of the eighth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, who is hardly a Millennial astatine 30 years of age. Being the 4th seed keeps him successful the coveted not-meet-anyone-seeded-above-him-until-the-semifinals position, which puts him successful a very bully position to spell distant and conquer his 5th U.S. Open title.

“I thought to myself, we person the opportunity present to show the communicative of a GOAT and his athletics erstwhile he is still ascendant complete conscionable astir everyone isolated from a mates of guys successful the world,” Hehir explained. “And what he is grappling with, what drives him— now that he has accomplished everything location is to execute much than immoderate different tennis subordinate has ever accomplished—what drives him to support connected going, and what is pulling astatine him disconnected the court, which is being a dad, being a husband, pursuing different things extracurricular of tennis.”

Hehir Found Djokovic To Be 'Really Intelligent, Really Curious’

When Djokovic’s squad first talked to Hehir astir doing a documentary, Hehir didn’t exactly, umm, “wolf” the anticipation up initially. “I americium a casual tennis fan, not a fanatic,” recalled Hehir. “So I knew who Novak was, obviously, but didn’t cognize overmuch much astir him than the mean sportsman. So I had my doubts astir really difficult he mightiness beryllium to activity pinch because I knew what his estimation was arsenic being benignant of obstinate , stubborn and possibly arrogant, you know, each these misconceptions that that thrust him crazy.”

However, complete clip while “kicking the tires” of this idea, Hehir came to recognize that “This feline is fascinating” and “That this is simply a really intelligent, really funny person.” For example, Hehir was struck by really “He was really funny from the get spell astir what my attack was to make a film. Like really do you spell astir it? What’s the investigation process? How do you determine really galore days you’re gonna shoot?”

Djokovic Pays Attention To The Details Of His Life

An important item astir Djokovic is really intimately he pays attraction to each the specifications of his fittingness and health. “I ne'er saw him devour 1 point that wasn’t the highest grade, patient repast aliases beverage aliases thing you tin have," recalled Hehir. “The first clip that we met was successful Montenegro. It was for illustration 105 degrees astatine nighttime complete there, and he had a portion successful beforehand of him that looked for illustration a lemonade and really refreshing.” Hehir people asked the waiter for the aforesaid thing, and the waiter gave Hehir this OK-are-you-sure type of look. When the waiter did travel backmost pinch the drink, “It was tepid, lukewarm celery juice aliases thing for illustration that,” Hehir remarked. “It was not refreshing astatine all. It was gross.”

Djokovic has a cook pinch a estimation of preparing delicious nutrient who travels pinch him and makes him “perfectly patient meals each the time,” successful the words of Hehir. “I was excited but we had a crockery pinch nary dressing connected it and grilled chickenhearted that wasn’t seasoned. It wasn’t thing for illustration you would person astatine a restaurant.” Djokovic is very disciplined successful maintaining specified routines. “If a layman tried to adopt this regimen, they would find it really challenging and astir impossible,” Hehir mentioned. “But the intolerable is conscionable his mundane astatine this point.”

A Lot Of Djokovic’s Daily Life Is Mundane

Speaking of mundane, location tin beryllium a misconception that a apical athlete’s is filled pinch limelight-like stuff. Hehir, though, remarked really mundane Djokovic’s life tin be. “I wish I had shocking anecdotes that didn’t make it into the movie,” said Hehir. “A batch of it, arsenic you astir apt observed pinch athletes, is boring. It’s getting up, meditating for that half hour, needing a patient breakfast, hitting balls for an hr and a half, watching movie and resting.”

Proving People Wrong Helps Motivate Djokovic As It Does Michael Jordan

Another value of Djokovic’s to Air, truthful to speak, is thing that Jordan besides has displayed successful abundance. “Michael and Novak are very akin successful that location really is thing much for them to execute aliases to prove,” Hehir explained. “And yet erstwhile you inquire them what gets them retired of furniture successful the morning, it’s to beryllium group wrong.” Hehir related really Jordan had said the point that he missed astir about playing successful the NBA was “proving group wrong. Now, astatine what constituent did group uncertainty Michael Jordan?”

Similarly, really galore group are going to show Djokovic that he’s only won 10 Australian Open titles, 7 Wimbledon titles, 4 U.S. Open titles and 4 French Open titles and uncertainty whether he’ll ever make thing of himself arsenic a tennis player? “So these guys now person to conjure up uncertainty successful bladed air, conjure a motivation,” Hehir explained. “In Novak’s case, he has to look into the crowd and find personification who was booing him aliases find personification who was talking smack, and dedicate the remainder of the lucifer to proving that personification incorrect aliases shutting that personification up. And he revels successful that, loves it.”

Both Hehir and Djokovic mentioned Djokovic expertise to prime retired that 1 personification booing him successful a crowd of thousands cheering for him. “There is simply a connection successful Serbian called inat,” Djokovic explained during the movie screening. “When group uncertainty you, erstwhile everyone is fundamentally against you, that’s erstwhile you usage that inat, that unit of stubbornness to beryllium everybody wrong. That inat is really rather wide successful the mentality of Serbian people.” He besides mentions inat successful the pursuing trailer of the movie:

When Djokovic was told that 90 percent of the group successful attraction groups who had watched The Wolf successful Winter thought much highly of him afterwards, Djokovic first consequence was for illustration “What astir the 10 percent?” That’s moreover though a 90 percent people is expansive slam precocious and would much than fulfill most. But again Djokovic is not for illustration astir people.

Djokovic’s Experiences Have Helped Shaped His Current Approach

Even though the movie is not meant to show the full communicative of Djokovic’s life, to understand the coming you do person to understand astatine slightest a small of his past. So, the movie does show snippets of Djokovic’s puerility increasing up successful war-torn Belgrade. You’ll spot immoderate of the sacrifices that his family made and really Djokovic’s tennis talent represented a measurement retired for them, really astatine a young property a batch was swinging connected Djokovic’s expertise to plaything a racket.

“With Novak, his puerility was truthful fraught pinch threat and fearfulness and a realization that tomorrow is ne'er promised,” Hehir said. “So I don’t cognize really that that connects to his competitiveness aliases his monomaniacal focus. I do deliberation there’s a desire to beryllium loved and appreciated.” The movie does coming a much susceptible broadside of Djokovic, 1 that group packing a tennis stadium whitethorn not spot and 1 that Djokovic whitethorn not person ever been crippled to service up publicly. But to afloat understand and admit what Djokovic has achieved connected the court, it does thief to spot this different rotation connected who he is.

Djokovic Himself Focuses On The Here And Now

It is fitting, though, that The Wolf successful Winter focuses connected the present and now pinch Djokovic and neither the past nor the present. Because that’s what Djokovic does. As Hehir related, “I person noticed successful dealing pinch elite athletes, that possibly their top superpower is their expertise to unrecorded successful the coming and not dwell connected past mistakes aliases disappointments, and not fearfulness what’s to come.” Hehir went connected to say, “Most of america don’t person that ability.” Hehir emphasized that beyond the elite diversion ability, Djokovic, if he’s down 40-15, 5-3, successful the 5th group of a major, would beryllium capable to attraction solely connected really to triumph the adjacent constituent whereas “Most of america would think, ‘[bleep], if I miss this adjacent point, it’s over.’" Only aft that constituent is done will Djokovic move connected to the adjacent point.

Hehir besides noted that “He doesn’t really dwell connected things that hap successful the past. If you premier enough, he’ll talk astir the past, but he’s not an unfastened book and not giving you anecdotes astir the past unless you really gain that trust.”

Speaking of the past and the future, moreover though Djokovic whitethorn beryllium successful the Winter of his tennis playing career, don’t expect to put his profession connected crystal anytime soon. Who knows whether this Winter will past one, 2 aliases galore much years. The past of tennis doesn’t really use because Djokovic has already proven that he is an anomaly. In his longevity successful the sport, he is aft each a lone wolf.