Novak Djokovic: Mean Plant-based Machine
28th July 2019 By Sally Kirkman 11 Comments
Novak Djokovic won Wimbledon this year, beating my hot tip for the title, Roger Federer. You can read more about the tennis astrology here: Wimbledon 2019.
The major planetary aspect on the day of the Wimbledon final was Sun opposite Pluto. No surprise, it ended up being a relentless 5 hour epic battle.
It was ultimately Federer, the Leo (ruled by the Sun) who could not defeat the unceasing consistency of one of the tennis world's most successful players.
Winning Wimbledon this year means that Djokovic has won 4 of the last 5 Grand Slams starting with Wimbledon 2018. This almost equals his 2015/2016 season when he held all four Grand Slam trophies at one time.
Djokovic' Astrology
Djokovic is a formidable force on the tennis scene and his astrology gives you a hint as to why. He is a Sun Gemini, which makes him a natural tennis player. Gemini rules the hands and Gemini's planet is Mercury, fleet-footed and swift. You often find the best tennis players were born with either the Sun in Gemini or another key/planet angle in Gemini.
Djokovic is a solid player and this is shown by his Capricorn Ascendant. You could say that he looks ever-so-slightly goat-like and he's certainly one of the GOAT's of tennis (greatest-of-all-time). This makes his ruling planet, Saturn, the planet of commitment, hard work, discipline and relentlessness. Against Federer, Djokovic was able to remain calm and refused to give in.
Also, Djokovic' Midheaven, the career point in his horoscope is a steely star sign, Scorpio. Plus, Scorpio's co-ruler, Pluto is close to Djokovic' Midheaven.
This shows he's a power-house. At its best, Scorpio gifts you laser-focus and obsessive determination. It's no coincidence that Rafa Nadal has a Scorpio Ascendant and Roger Federer his Moon in Scorpio. These combinations give tremendous will-power, resilience and a 'killing' instinct on the tennis court.
Djokovic often defies 'normal' astrology'. During his four Grand Slam wins back-to-back, Pluto, Scorpio's planet was conjunct his Capricorn Ascendant. Plus, transiting Saturn was opposite his natal Sun Gemini. For most people, these 'tough' transits would be life-changing and hard to bear. For Djokovic, they propelled him to the top of his game.
Yet, Djokovic' form did drop for two years, from 2016 to 2018. On the tennis astrology forums, we agreed that he'd come back to his best when his progressed Sun was conjunct his natal Mars, his career planet. This proved correct as the progression was exact in August 2018, a winning year for Djokovic.
Transiting Saturn also kicked in during 2018 opposing his natal Mars. Then, during Wimbledon of this year, 2019, Saturn in Capricorn was conjunct Djokovic' natal Ascendant. Saturn in Capricorn is in its sign of rulership and can bring mastery conjunct a key angle, especially the Ascendant or Midheaven.
Plant-based Diet & The Game-Changers
There's another interpretation of Saturn conjunct the Ascendant for Djokovic. The Ascendant rules the physical body and Saturn has an ascetic nature.
In an interview post-Wimbledon 2019 (see below), Djokovic talked about his plant-based diet and his regular discipline of meditation and yoga, which he attributes to his success. Saturn, as Capricorn's ruling planet, is often thought of as the shaman.
The other major transit during Wimbledon 2019 was unpredictable Uranus conjunct Djokovic' natal Venus in Taurus. On its own, Venus in Taurus is the foodie, someone who loves to indulge the senses. Uranus is neither inherently good nor bad, when its transit is a conjunction. Instead, it acts as a trigger bringing the planet to prominence.
And, after Wimbledon 2019, in Djokovic' interview to the media he talked about his plant-based diet. Not being a lover of labels, he didn't want to 'come out' as a vegan but a lot of the healthy-living websites picked up on it. Also, Djokovic talked about being an executive producer on a documentary called The Game-Changers that airs in September 2019.
Djokovic is not the only big name behind the documentary. There's a top-notch roll call of executive producers including James Cameron, Arnie Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton and Chris Paul. And yes, it's about how a plant-based diet takes athletes to their optimum potential.
Food Allergies – Moon/Mars
Djokovic started to change his diet dramatically back in 2010 when he was approached by a nutritionist and fellow Serb, Dr Igor Cetojevic, who'd been watching Djokovic play tennis. Djokovic was struggling physically and the nutritionist attributed it to food allergies. After rigorous tests, Djokovic cut out gluten and dairy products and, ever since, has been a devotee of healthy eating.
You can see the signature for the food allergies affecting his tennis career in his astrology. Djokovic' career planet is Mars in Cancer, its sign of fall, in the 6th house ruling health. Cancer rules the stomach, gut & intestines. Mars is square to the Moon in Aries and the Moon rules Cancer, and is linked to what nurtures, nourishes you and gives you comfort.
A square aspect suggests a conflict. More importantly for Djokovic, the two planets are in mutual reception. Which means that Mars is in the Moon's sign, Cancer, and the Moon is in Mars' star sign, Aries. Once you swap the two around, they both become strong, in their signs of rulership. Effectively, Djokovic' had to turn around his diet when a nutritionist (the Moon rules the 7th) stepped in to help.
In 2010, both Pluto and Saturn were transiting square to Djokovic' natal Moon, aggravating and/or exposing the allergies. Jupiter, a positive planet, moved to conjunct the Moon in February 2011. Djokovic won the Australian Open at the end of January 2011, his first Grand Slam win since early 2008.
The mean plant-based machine that is Novak Djokovic found the sticking point in his astrology, his destiny and the rest is history. He's applied himself diligently to his plant-based diet, yoga and meditation. Djokovic attributed this to his ability to remain calm against one of the world's most talented tennis players, Roger Federer. Wimbledon 2019 was a stunning final.
Djokovic' Wimbledon 2019 Interview where he talks about his plant-based diet and The Game-Changers:
Djokovic' birth chart:
Filed Under: Celebrity Astrology, Sports Astrology Tagged With: Novak Djokovic, plant-based diet, The Game-Changers
Shelley says
Thank you Sally. This is a great written piece and you have tracked Djokovic's transformative journey with great astrological detail. Djokovic is one of my favourite players… I remember when he beat Tsonga to win his first grand slam. I also remember what little respect he had from the public and commentators. He has done a lot of inner work over the years and has developed not only as an athlete but as a spiritual person. He seems to be very in tune with the current energies that embrace veganism and yoga. He is also paving a new path as a business man and investing in plant based restaurants. I think his star will continue to rise as he gets older.
Sally Kirkman says
Lesley Jackson says
Are you doing a forecast for the US Open Sally?
Just gone live, Lesley.
Anish57 says
22nd August 2019 at 10:34 PM
Did you see any indication that he may be able to win more slams than Federer / Nadal? Like you mentioned, he's performing like a machine.
Although he tends to win more often than not against Nadal / Federer, compared to both of them, Djokovic has probably shown more susceptibility in losing to others.
Faith says
This is an excellent piece! He certainly is a unique person.
Thank you, Faith. It took me a while to warm to him back in the day – might be that Capricorn Ascendant! The more I find out about him, the more I admire him 🙂
Raman says
Looking forward to similar blogs on other successful tennis players as well !!!
Thanks-a-lot
This is a wonderful work from you. You must have spent a lot of time compiling facts and lacing them with astrology. Great effort Sally ! This made very interesting reading.
Thank you, Raman 🙂 Appreciated.
US Open Tennis 2019 - Sally Kirkman Astrologer says:
[…] Also, Uranus has turned retrograde since the Wimbledon final and is now exactly conjunct his natal Venus. This combination didn't do him any harm during Wimbledon. I think it's all also about his plant-based diet and his support of The Game-Changers. You can read that article here: Novak Djokovic, Mean Plant-Based. Machine. […]