Novak Djokovic puts his good health and swift injury recovery times down to his plant-based diet – just don’t call him a vegan.

The 32-year-old booked himself a place in the Wimbledon final on Sunday after defeating Roberto Bautista Agut.

Over the course of the championships, activists have repeatedly chalked the words “Novak Djokovic is vegan” on the pavement around Wimbledon station. But the world number one doesn’t like the term.

Vegan activists have been chalking “Djokovic is a vegan” around Wimbledon Station of the course of the tournament
“Djokovic is vegan’ on a pavement in SW19 (Tess de la Mare/PA)

He said: “I don’t like the labels, to be honest. I do eat plant-based (food), for quite a few years already.

“But because of the misinterpretations of labels and misuse of labels, I just don’t like that kind of name.

“I do eat plant-based. I think that’s one of the reasons why I recover well. I don’t have allergies that I used to have any more.

He added: “And I like it.”

The four-time Wimbledon winner was an executive producer on the next instalment of the documentary Game Changers.

Produced by Avatar creator James Cameron, it looks at elite athletes who pin their success on their meat-free and dairy-free eating habits.

Djokovic said: “It is about how this diet affects the world, not just personal health, but also sustainability, ecology, animals.

“This is what I care about so I’m really privileged to be part of that team.”

It emerged on Thursday that Djokovic has been trying to protect the ecology of SW19 – nursing a baby bird he found in the garden of a rented house.

Sadly the fledgling passed away before he could get it to a vet.

The world number one told The Telegraph: “Unfortunately, she didn’t survive the night. She had some fatal injuries, so it was a sad end.”