Djokovic's 'Special Relationship' with Melbourne Tree Fuels Grand Slam Pursuit

World number one tennis player meditates at a specific tree in Royal Botanical Gardens Victoria during Australian Open, aiming for record-breaking 25th grand slam title.

• Novak Djokovic, world number one men’s tennis player, has revealed a 15-year long special relationship with a tree in the Royal Botanical Gardens Victoria, where he meditates to ground himself during the Australian Open.
• Djokovic, who is aiming to win a record-breaking 25th grand slam title in Melbourne, has won the Australian Open 10 times and is on a 31-match winning streak.
• The tree, which Djokovic has not publicly identified, was discovered by him in 2009, the year after he won his first Australian Open.
• A journalist from The Guardian, who had encountered Djokovic at the tree 11 years ago, embarked on a quest to find the tree, eventually locating it with the help of a colleague and Google.
• Djokovic's relationship with the tree was first hinted at in a 2017 Instagram post where he referred to the tree as 'his favorite friend from Melbourne.'

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