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Novak Djokovic, the new Wimbledon men’s champion, turned to the bicycle to help prepare for his winning performance, according to a BBC report.
Djokovic has had a 43 match-unbeaten streak over the past six months where he has picked up grand slam wins and risen to become the world’s number one tennis seed.
Marian Vajda, coach to Djokovic, explained how cycling was used to improve the champion’s endurance.
"At the start of 2010, he was in serious trouble…We worked hard and about 12 months ago he started to improve, but he was still far away from where he is now.
"We worked hard on the physical side. Novak needed to improve his endurance. He was not able to stay on the court for a long time… Now he’s able to maintain that because he’s far better technically and physically. We did a lot of running and bike work but, in addition, he improved his health."
Djokovic’s commitment to cycling even saw the champ riding the day before the men’s final.
Fellow tennis star and bicycle fan Serena Williams fared less well at this year’s Wimbledon, crashing out of Wimbledon in the fourth round. Williams famously injured her shoulder and face in a bicycle accident in October last year, in Florida.
