MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Novak Djokovic doesn’t really need to offer sweeteners to attract a crowd at the Australian Open.
Still, in what has become something of a tradition, he handed out some delicacies at his news conference on Sunday. He doled out chocolates at his first meeting with media at previous Australian Open tournaments and it’s worked – no man has won more titles here than Djokovic in the Open era.
Ahead of his title defense, and a bid for a record-equaling sixth Australian title (Roy Emerson won six in the 1960s before the Open era started), the No. 1-ranked Djokovic only slightly tweaked his recipe for success. The treats this time where “healthy, energy balls,” he told the assembled crowd. “They’re nice, still sweet – you’ll like them.”
It goes with his strict diet, one of the factors in his improved ability to handle the weather conditions in Melbourne which can range from extreme heat to cold and windy on the same day.
“It’s what I have on a daily basis,” he explained of the chocolate-looking balls, explaining the contents as “different super foods – and nuts and plant-based milk with cocoa and so forth. Pretty healthy stuff.”