I could no longer stand the slaughter of animals: Djokovic finally reveals why he doesn't eat meat!

Novak said he came under criticism because of his new diet and that many doubted him, even those in his closest surroundings

Novak Djokovic secured a place in the 4th round of the Australian Open after his victory over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, and will next play Diego Schwartzman from Argentina.

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Djokovic, who won the tournament last year, was particularly happy with his serve, and at the press conference, in addition to questions about his performance, also took interesting questions regarding his lifestyle.

What particularly inspired Novak was the question about his diet, which for the past four and a half years has been based mainly plant-based.

Djokovic said many in his surroundings doubted that he would be able to keep up high-level athletic performance based on this diet, that many criticized him, but that he had a higher ethical goal because he could no longer stand what is happening to animals in our time.

"I'm very pleased to be plant-based and play at this level for the last four and a half years. There's been a lot of criticism, people around me didn't really think that I could do that, there was a lot of doubt and question marks, I've been through different phases of adapting to the new lifestyle."

"It is a lifestyle, not just a diet, because you have the ethical reasons as well, being conscious of what is happening in the animal world, the slaughtering of animals and farming and everything, that there is also a huge impact on climate change that people maybe don't talk about as much. It's more than a performance reason for me, it's a lifestyle, it's an approach, it's something that I'm really proud of and hopefully that community grows even more, hopefully I can inspire other athletes that it is possible to be plant-based and to recover well, to have strength, to have muscles. I'm not a weightlifter, of course, but I do have an optimal balance between the strength and power and speed... Nothing seems to be missing. I'll keep enjoying that," Djokovic concluded.

Hear Novak talk about his diet:

Novak also addressed the issue of the relationship between Federer and Nadal:

(Telegraf.rs)