Inside the $160K Secret Room Behind Amanda Anisimova and Novak Djokovic’s US Open Edge

If you ask a champion like Novak Djokovic what his secret to success has been, the answer remains usually modest: “Off the court, I dedicate time to practices such as meditation, clean nutrition, and recovery routines that nourish both body and mind. This philosophy has supported my performance on the court and off the court in my personal and professional life.” While the 24-time slam king sticks to his rituals of mind-body recovery, it seems he’s now embraced a new form of tool – one driven by technology and costs $160,000 to recharge yourself fully before stepping back on the court. Guess what? The Serbian is not the only one who witnessed this revolution at this year’s US Open. Even the likes of Amanda Anisimova, Aryna Sabalenka, and others have tried this instant-recovery magic trick. But what is it exactly?
Meet the Secret Room, a.k.a the Ammortal Chamber. It’s a recovery chamber installed inside Arthur Ashe Stadium this season. Purpose? To help players fully reset their mind and body to an active state through sessions lasting just 25 minutes. Wait, what? Costing $160,000, it features a spaceship cabin-like atmosphere inside while offering a luxurious experience like no other. The Ammortal Chamber claims to reset the nervous system while offering hours of deep recovery in about half-an-hour using red-light therapy, near-infrared therapy, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF), and vibroacoustic therapy.
Back in 2023, the concept was introduced by Ammortal and now it’s spread across places like spas, clinics, and also sports facilities. The one inside the Arthur Ashe has been set up to provide a rapid mind-body recovery. Especially considering how hectic the schedule can get for players at slams. Seems like the US Open organizers really put a lot of efforts in providing the best player experience with the Ammortal Chamber.
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Inside are the chairs set up with $2,000 Bang & Olufsen noise-canceling headphones at each station. Not to mention the resting platform having a design straight out-of-a sci-fi movie. This technological marvel is so popular that even Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, LA Rams, LA Dodgers, and Arizona Diamondbacks have taken its services in recent years.
During the US Open, in case you missed it, American WTA pro Amanda Anisimova did share a snap from inside this recovery room. Initially, no one was supposed to know about it. But thanks to the World No.4’s IG stories, the word eventually spread faster than light. And then there’s Djokovic, of course, who used it during his tiring sessions after the matches in New York.
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But guess what? It’s not the first time we have seen the Serbian shaking hands with technology to achieve best results. Remember his attention-grabbing oxygen chamber that he brought at the US Open? It happened way back in 2019. But nothing beats his $75,000 experience of being inside an egg.
When Novak Djokovic sought great results through a $75,000 egg
More than a decade ago, during the 2011 US Open, Novak Djokovic tried something completely out-of-the-box. If you think the Ammortal Chamber is a first-of-its-kind experience for him to recover, think again.
The Serbian tried to gain better results in terms of fitness thanks to an egg-shaped $75,000 CVAC Pod. In other words, it was a pressure chamber, made by California-based company called CVAC Systems. The one Djokovic was using was just one of the 20 units across the globe back then.
This egg-shaped chamber ultimately used a computer-controlled valve and a vacuum pump to simulate high altitude. Then it used to compress the muscles at rhythmic intervals. Compared to Ammortal’s claims of providing full nervous system recovery in a 25-minute session, CVAC claimed that its chamber provided overall body recovery by spending 20 minutes inside the pod three times a week. Doing so would increase the athletic performance. All thanks to an improved circulation and by boosting oxygen-rich red blood cells.
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So how was Djokovic’s experience with this seven feet long, three feet wide, and seven feet high premium egg? “I think it really helps—not with muscle but more with recovery after an exhausting set,” he admitted. “It’s like a spaceship. It’s very interesting technology.” Seems like the experiment worked wonders for him. After all, he eventually won the US Open title that year, defeating arch rival Rafael Nadal in a four-set thriller.
What are your thoughts on technological advancements that are now emerging to provide athletes with a promise of full mind-body restoration? Let us know in the comments below.