US Open 2018: Novak Djokovic says hike up mountain transformed his season

Novak Djokovic says a five-day hike in the mountains with his wife transformed a season that has brought back-to-back Grand Slam titles.

The Serb added the US Open crown to his Wimbledon trophy with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 victory over Juan Martin del Potro.

After a shock defeat by world number 72 Marco Cecchinato in the French Open quarter-finals in June, Djokovic went trekking and took stock on a peak.

“We sat down and we just looked at the world from that perspective,” he said.

“I breathed in the new inspiration, new motivation. I thought of tennis, thought of the emotion that tennis provokes in me.

“It was all positives. I just felt like I had a new breath for this sport.

“The rest is history in terms of results. I played finals of Queen’s, won Wimbledon, won Cincinnati, and won US Open. I guess we’ll be hiking some more very soon.”

Djokovic, who climbed Mont Sainte-Victoire in the south of France with wife Jelena, added: “I strongly recommend you to climb it. Some great things will happen in your life.”