{"id":2049935,"date":"2026-07-18T15:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T12:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2049935"},"modified":"2026-07-18T15:30:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T12:30:39","slug":"novak-djokovic-lionel-messi-share-powerful-exchange-on-handling-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2049935","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic &amp; Lionel Messi share powerful exchange on handling pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Novak Djokovic &amp; Lionel Messi share powerful exchange on handling pressure<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/oliver-paton\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Oliver Paton                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"18 Jul 2026 4:30 PM\" data-ps-date=\"18 Jul 2026 4:30 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1784388639\"><br \/>\n                            18 Jul 2026 4:30 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" 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class=\"sm:hidden flex items-center space-x-5\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 dark:hidden h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_light.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn-hidden\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"Novak Djokovic &amp; Lionel Messi share powerful exchange on handling pressure\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Novak-Messi-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Novak Djokovic and Lionel Messi\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Novak Djokovic and Lionel Messi                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\"><!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/novak-djokovic\">Novak Djokovic<\/a> took on a rare role away from the tennis court as he interviewed Lionel Messi ahead of the 2026 World Cup final, with the two sporting icons sharing a fascinating conversation about pressure, success, and handling defeat.<\/p>\n<p>The Serb most recently competed at Wimbledon, where he reached his eighth consecutive semi-final at the All England Club before losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/novak-djokovic\">Djokovic<\/a> has long been recognised for his exceptional ability to handle pressure, with perhaps the clearest examples coming during two deciding-set tiebreaks at Wimbledon \u2013 against Roger Federer in the 2019 final and Felix Auger-Aliassime in this year\u2019s quarter-final.<\/p>\n<p>Across those two crucial moments, Djokovic played a combined 24 points and did not commit a single unforced error, showcasing the mental strength that has helped him become one of the most successful athletes in sporting history.<\/p>\n<p>As he moves further into the twilight of his illustrious career, Djokovic\u2019s ability to manage his emotions and deliver under pressure against the world\u2019s best could prove increasingly important in his pursuit of further success.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/lionel-messi\">Messi<\/a>, meanwhile, will contest his second World Cup final on Sunday as Argentina faces Spain for just the second time in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p>In their only previous World Cup meeting, a 1966 group-stage encounter, Argentina defeated Spain 2-1 at Villa Park in Birmingham.<\/p>\n<p>The Argentine superstar also guided his country to World Cup glory in 2022, defeating France in a dramatic final decided by penalties.<\/p>\n<p>In this year\u2019s semi-final, Argentina recovered from a 1-0 deficit against England to secure a 2-1 victory and book their place in another final.<\/p>\n<h2>Latest Tennis News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/atp-tour\/carlos-alcaraz-jannik-sinners-eventual-grand-slam-hauls-predicted-renowned-tennis-analyst\">Carlos Alcaraz &amp; Jannik Sinner\u2019s eventual Grand Slam hauls predicted by renowned tennis analyst<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/novak-djokovic-makes-candid-retirement-admission-wimbledon-loss-moment-closer-than-ever\">Novak Djokovic makes candid retirement admission after Wimbledon loss \u2013 \u2018That moment is closer than ever\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At FIFA\u2019s Fanatics Fest, just 48 hours before the final, Djokovic turned the tables on the football legend by asking how he has remained composed throughout one of the greatest careers in sporting history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did you learn to block out pressure and stay true to your playing style?\u201d questioned the tennis legend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never thought too much about pressure,\u201d replied Messi.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always saw it as something natural: going out to play, enjoy, and compete.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are highly competitive and always want to win, but we also understand that this is a sport, that the opponent also plays, and that winning is not always possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver time, I learned that you lose much more than you win. Understanding that helped me grow as a person and as a player.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic, for his part, is next scheduled to return to action at the Cincinnati Open, the season\u2019s seventh Masters 1000 tournament, which takes place from August 13-23.<\/p>\n<p>He is also expected to attend the World Cup Final on Sunday, with Carlos Alcaraz also expected to do the same.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT:<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/wta-rankings-race-to-riyadh-mirra-andreeva-no-1-iga-swiatek-12th\">WTA Rankings Race: Andreeva still No 1 as Muchova, Noskova soar &amp; Swiatek drops to 12th<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End --><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Novak Djokovic &amp; Lionel Messi share powerful exchange on handling pressure Oliver Paton 18 Jul 2026 4:30 PM Novak Djokovic and Lionel Messi Novak Djokovic took on a rare role away from the tennis court as he interviewed Lionel Messi ahead of the 2026 World Cup final, with the two sporting icons sharing a fascinating [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-2049935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2049935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2049935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2049935\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2049935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2049935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2049935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}