Novak Djokovic Wins Wimbledon and the US Open on His Comeback From Elbow Surgery

Novak Djokovic is back on top. The plant-based Serb beat Juan Martín del Potro 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in the US Open final in New York on Sunday, September 9, adding his third US Open title to the Wimbledon crown he won in July, according to his season record.

It's his 14th Grand Slam title, drawing him level with Pete Sampras, and it lifts him back up to number three in the world. The second set alone lasted 95 minutes before Djokovic took the tie-break.

The turnaround has been astonishing. In January Djokovic lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open and then had surgery on his right elbow, which had troubled him for two years. By May he had dropped out of the world's top 20 for the first time since 2006.

Then came Wimbledon. He beat Rafael Nadal in a five-set semi-final played over two days, then beat Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 in the final on July 15. Ranked 21st, he was the lowest-ranked man to win Wimbledon since wildcard Goran Ivanišević in 2001. In August he beat Roger Federer in Cincinnati to become the first man to win all nine Masters 1000 titles.

Djokovic's diet is mostly plant-based, and he has long said that heavy meals with meat held him back. “Eating meat was hard on my digestion,” he has said, according to EssentiallySports. His long-time coach Marian Vajda said in a Slovak interview this summer that Djokovic had added more fish to strengthen his muscles after the surgery, but Djokovic has since said his coach's comments were reported out of context. On meat, he has explained:

That [eating meat] took a lot of essential energy that I need for my focus, for recovery, for the next training session, and for the next match.

Djokovic's resurgence caps a big summer for plant-powered athletes. Last month he became the first man to win all nine Masters 1000 titles, Bryant Jennings stopped Alexander Dimitrenko in Atlantic City, and Neil Robertson won the Riga Masters.

Two Slams in a row on a mostly plant-based plate. The Djoker is back.