The Djokovic Rule: Do You Like Hitting The Ball?
Today at a Glance
What’s a Rich Text element?
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
Static and dynamic content editing
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. !
- ml;xsml;xa
- koxsaml;xsml;xsa
- mklxsaml;xsa
How to customize formatting for each rich text
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
In 2015, tennis legend Novak Djokovic was asked about the drivers of his exceptional on-court success.
His response was simple:
"I can carry on playing at this level because I like hitting the tennis ball."
When the interviewer pressed him, asking whether there were players who don't, he continued:
"There are people out there who don't have the right motivation. I can see it. But I don't judge."
That line unlocked something for me, I just didn't know it yet...
A few years later, I was having breakfast with a mentor and friend, Apple CEO Tim Cook.
I was fascinated by his daily routines—I wanted to understand the drivers and motivations behind his extraordinary success.
As he walked me through his typical day—from a 3:45am alarm, into critical emails, into a 4:45am workout, and onward into a jam-packed schedule at the office—I noticed that he had a slight glint in his eyes, a little smile appearing on his face.
A day that would make a normal person's head spin was lighting him up. It was energizing. It was, dare I say, joyful.
I remember thinking, very clearly in that moment: Good luck competing against this guy!
Tim likes hitting the ball.
That realization landed at a personal inflection point for me. A moment when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and career.
As I looked around the following week, I noticed something uncomfortable:
Other people had that glint in their eye for the work that I dreaded.
It clicked: I'll never be one of the best at this over the long-term.
Because I don't like hitting the ball.
As it turned out, this idea became a defining framework for my career shift.
I call it the Djokovic Rule. A simple question to center yourself:
Do you like hitting the ball?
Do you like the core, repetitive actions that form the foundation of the work? Does it feel easy to take on the seemingly mundane tasks? Do you feel energized when you wake up on Monday morning?
Do you like hitting the ball?
If not, you may still succeed. You may still do well. You may even do great in the short-term.
But over a long enough timeline, it's almost impossible to beat someone who genuinely enjoys the work itself.
And when you find that thing—that game you genuinely enjoy—I'll say the same thing I said about Tim:
Good luck to anyone trying to compete with you.
