Novak Djokovic will work alongside Maria Sharapova in his latest endeavour, as the icon prepares for life after tennis. Djokovic still has his sights set on a record-extending 25th grand slam title, but is aware the curtain call for his career could be just around the corner.
If it wasn’t for an untimely injury ahead of his Australian Open semi-final earlier this year, Djokovic may have already bagged grand slam title number 25. Instead, with less than a month until the French Open gets underway, the wait goes on.
While clay might not be his most preferred surface, as long as he’s in the draw, Djokovic certainly has a chance. But, it’s away from the court where Djokovic is hoping to boost his profile by collaborating with several high-end businesses.
One of them being Aman Resorts, a chain of luxury hotels and residences, where, as explained by Djokovic, he’s likely to cross paths with fellow brand ambassador Sharapova. He explained in an interview with Business Traveler: “Maria Sharapova is also a wellness brand ambassador for Aman and I’ve been friends with Maria for a long time, so I hope we’ll be able to do some of those retreats together, because the impact would be even greater.
“We don’t know yet where or when. As my active career is still ongoing, it’s a bit challenging with calendars, but I’m excited because that’s also going to help me develop and wire my brain to wellness and learn how to better express myself to the audience about well-being, while also growing my presence as a brand.”
The seven-time Wimbledon champion made it clear that it isn’t a free-for-all when it comes to who he partners up with, revealing there have been occasions where he’s said no to brand deals. Djokovic added: “I’ve personally refused to involve myself in a lot of different businesses and represent different products in the last two decades, mainly because I cannot represent something that I don’t believe in, that is not in line with me and my values. Wellness and well-being is the biggest passions of mine, next to tennis and sports and education.”
He concluded: “For me, it was very clear from the beginning that I want to collaborate with brands like Aman, where the quality in every aspect is not compromised. I’m excited about the retreats we are going to do, where I’ll be able to share my experience, my know-how, with people who are interested to learn more about my training, my recovery, my mental strength training.”
Following his early exit from the Madrid Open, Djokovic pulled out of the Italian Open, meaning his next appearance will almost certainly come at Roland-Garros later this month.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk