How Djokovic Turns Frustration Into Focus In 60 Seconds

Last year at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic faced one of those moments every athlete dreads… the crowd against him, the points slipping away, and frustration bubbling up. It was clear he wasn’t at his peak. The tension on the court was visible, and the scoreboard wasn’t in his favour. Yet, as always, he managed to turn the momentum around. And by the next point, he had flipped the match. Not with a new serve or trick shot, but with his breath.

Djokovic’s courtside reset wasn’t just a mental pause. It was a full-body, physiological intervention, as breathwork trainer Stuart Sandeman pointed out.

Here, Sandeman tells us more about how breathwork can work wonders as a high-performance tool, not just for recovery or relaxation, but for real-time control of body and mind under pressure. 

Djokovic’s secret mid-match reset

What made this moment remarkable wasn’t just Djokovic’s resilience, but his use of breathwork as a strategic tool. “I’m a big fan of Djokovic. He’s a master of internal control. What stood out in this moment was how publicly he used breathwork to reset,” he adds. “Most players use their 90-second changeover to simply hydrate and regroup, but Djokovic used every second in this moment to run a strategic breathing protocol to optimise his body and mind. I love how at 38, he’s still dominating the game. He’s also spoken openly about using breath, visualisation and meditation which are all core pillars in my work and life." 

Reading the body: What breathwork looks like in action

You might think breathwork is invisible, but careful observation reveals subtle, precise techniques.

“He wasn’t playing his best, to be honest, and you could see the tension rising in him,” Sandeman says when describing Djokovic’s mid-match routine. As he walked to his chair, he placed his fingers in his ears, "a subtle move that stimulates the vagus nerve via the auricular branch, helping shift the body into a parasympathetic state," he points out. Then, on his seat, he started to massage his diaphragm, especially around the solar plexus, which is another key point for vagal activation and releasing breath-holding tension. "You could see the deliberate diaphragmatic breaths. It was clearly a step by step process to regulate his nervous system in real time," Sandeman observes.

This combination of small, intentional movements and focused breathing helped Djokovic down-regulate tension and regain control, a technique that elite athletes often practice away from the cameras.

The diaphragm: Your body’s performance engine

The diaphragm isn’t just for breathing; it’s also central to stress regulation and peak performance.

“In high-pressure situations, whether you’re on Centre Court or in a high-stakes meeting, engaging the diaphragm isn’t just about relaxation. It’s how you switch on your most efficient performance state: focused, energised and in control," Sandeman says. "It’s your body’s primary breathing muscle. When it’s working well, it draws air deep into the lungs, improves oxygen uptake, and reduces tension in the neck and shoulders."

Up to two-thirds of your energy is derived from your breath, and if you’re not using your diaphragm properly, you’re not going to have core stablity, good posture, or efficient movement. And you simply won't reach optimal performance.

What is a physiological sigh?

You don't have to join in a meditation class or head out on retreat to reap the benefits of breathwork. Sometimes, the breathing pattern that makes the most difference is the one you do in the moment. In fact, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman is a big fan of the physiological sigh (a double inhale through the nose, followed by a long, deliberate exhale) that can act as a fast reset when you need it.

When we are stressed, carbon dioxide builds in the blood and the tiny air sacs in the lungs start to collapse. Doing a double inhale reopens those sacs, and a long exhale clears out a larger volume of carbon dioxide. The result is not just a sense of relief but a real change in your internal state. One to three rounds of this breathwork technique are usually enough to bring the body back into balance.

The physiological sigh can influence heart rate variability, which is often used as a signal of how well your body is coping with stress. When you inhale, the diaphragm moves downward to make space for your lungs to expand, which in turn stretches the heart slightly. That small stretch slows blood flow, and the brain responds by sending a signal to increase your heart rate.

During the exhale, the diaphragm lifts, the heart contracts again, blood flows more quickly, and the brain slows the heart down. Essentially, when you make your inhales longer or more vigorous than your exhales, you increase your heart rate and alertness. Longer exhales do the opposite, helping to calm the system down and lower your heart rate.

While Huberman has popularised the physiological sigh, it is not a new concept. In fact, you can observe it in nature. Dogs will often do a version of it before they settle. You can also see it in people, especially children, when they cry hard and then instinctively do a double inhale before calming down.

This technique works best when done through the nose, but if needed, you can inhale and exhale through the mouth. The best part is, you can do it anywhere, whether you are in the car, at your desk, or caught in a difficult moment.

Here's a quick primer:

• Sit or stand in a comfortable position
• Take a deep inhale through the nose
• Without exhaling, take a second shorter inhale through the nose to top up the lungs
• Then exhale fully, slowly and steadily, through the nose or mouth
• Repeat this cycle one to three times as needed

The science of a breath reset

Breathwork isn’t just about calming down. It can literally reshape how the brain and body respond to stress. “When you release tension in the diaphragm, you also release stored stress in the body,” says Sandeman. “Slow, conscious breathing, especially with extended exhales, activates your parasympathetic nervous system. That’s the brake pedal for stress and it can tame anger and frustration too."

During this type of reset, your brain focus shifts out of the limbic system (reactive, emotional) and into the prefrontal cortex (strategic, focused, calm). You literally move from survival mode to flow state mode, helping you get ‘in the zone.’ Your blood pressure will drop as cortisol reduces, and alpha brainwaves increase, helping you think clearly and perform under pressure, adds Sandeman.

In other words, a few deliberate breaths can switch you from reactive to strategic thinking, giving you the clarity needed to turn a game (or any high-pressure situation) around.

Breathwork as a performance tool

While many people associate breathwork with relaxation, Sandeman emphasises its broader applications too. “Relaxation is just the entry point. In high performance, you don’t want to be sleepy. You want to be switched on and fully in control,” he says.

Breathwork can do way more than just calm the system. “It can also manipulate CO2 levels, increase nitric oxide and enhance oxygen delivery to tissues, meaning your brain and muscles work better under pressure. It boosts vagal tone and HRV, which helps you recover faster between points or sprints too."

Structured breathwork can even improve stamina, recovery and sleep.

Can anyone harness this power?

Breathwork is surprisingly accessible and it’s a skill anyone can develop, not just athletes. “Anyone can start using breathwork right now and feel a shift,” says Sandeman. “But like any skill, the more reps you put in, the more automatic it becomes. Your nervous system becomes more flexible and more adaptable.”

Even a minute of simple breathing can sharpen focus and lower heart rate. Just remember that the real power comes with consistency. "You literally train your system to stay steady under pressure," says Sandeman. "I’ve worked with the England football team, Olympians, execs, artists, and through our app, thousands of people have tapped into this. The ones who practice daily are operating at a whole other level.”

How breath shifts competitive momentum

Breathing doesn’t just affect your internal state, it can shift outcomes in real time too. “Breath shifts your state and your state drives your next move. It affects your timing, your decision-making and your recovery,” he says. “I’ve seen athletes use one minute of breath between rounds and come back like a different person: sharper, more present, more powerful."

This is the kind of edge that allows elite performers like Djokovic to turn matches around seemingly effortlessly.

The breathpod approach

Sandeman's method, Breathpod, combines science, music, mindset, and somatics to help anyone harness breath for transformation. “It’s a multi-sensory experience that rewires your system from the inside out," he says.

Keen to discover the benefits on the Breathpod app? 

Start your 7-day FREE trial of the Breathpod app with hundreds of guided breathwork sessions to help you feel calmer, clearer, and more energised anytime, anywhere. As a Healf reader, you also get 20% off an Annual Membership which you can claim HERE.  

Closing thoughts: The breath that wins championships

Djokovic’s mid-match reset wasn’t luck. It was precision, training, and deep body awareness, all executed under pressure. As Sandeman explains, “Whether on the tennis court, in the boardroom, or navigating life’s toughest moments, the power of the breath is a tool accessible to everyone but only fully effective when practiced consistently."

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