Novak Djokovic set for Abu Dhabi battle

‘My game is based on solid baseline play,’ says Novak Djokovic. — KT photo by Nezar Balout

Staying true to his nature, Novak Djokovic, the game’s ultimate showman, brought laughter on Thursday when journos wanted to know the reason behind his remarkable move to hire Boris Becker as his new head coach.

“Well, there is a reason for that. There has to be one,” Djoker smiled. “I hired him because he is German. And I have not got the chance to practise my German for a long time. So that’s not a bad reason to have him on board!”

His cheeky smile though couldn’t conceal the seriousness of his decision. Becker was an iconic serve- and-volley player and Djokovic is a supreme baseliner. How will this combination work?

“I mean, look, he is a legendary player who won six Grand Slams, he was number one in the world. He has a lot of experience of playing in the final stages of the Grand Slams. Since I often experience similar situations now in Grand Slams, I thought he would be the person who could share his experience and ideas and maybe he can help me give that mental edge. We can work on different parts of my game,” said the world number two who would begin his Mubadala World Tennis Championship campaign in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

“Of course, there will no major changes in my game. I think I am already quite a complete player. I can’t suddenly become a serve and volley player. My game is based on solid baseline play. That’s what I have been doing all my life. With Boris, it will be more about adjusting few things here and there.”

The Serb says his great on-court rival Andy Murray’s success with the legendary Ivan Lendl played no part in his decision to hire Becker. “Honestly, my decision to hire Boris has not been inspired by Murray-Lendl combination. Of course, it helped Andy in a big way after Lendl joined his team. He won two Grand Slams and the Olympic gold medal. Lendl has been a very positive influence. But that had nothing to do with my decision to hire Boris.”

Though he regained his best form towards the end of the last season, Djokovic only finished with one Grand Slam in 2013. That is one area the Serb says he needs to work on.

“In our sport, the Grand Slams are the most prestigious tournaments. That’s where I want to do well, win those trophies on a more regular basis. That’s why Boris is on board. I mean it was not a sudden decision (to hire him). We thought about it a lot. When I say we, I mean myself, Marian (Vajda). We talked about the possibility of having Boris with us from the middle of the year. After that we called Boris during the Beijing tournament. Marian is also someone who had played an immense part in my career. He has been with me for the last eight years,” said the four-time Australian Open champion.

Becker, Djokovic, informed, would join his team in Abu Dhabi. “He would also be with me during the Grand Slams and the 1000 Masters events. We have already practised a bit. It was nice.”

Interestingly the Mubadala tournament will be the only event the 26-year-old will be taking part in before the Australian Open. “I am not playing any other pre-Australian Open event. Afer this I will be in Melbourne,” informed Djoker.

“Of course I am excited about playing here in Abu Dhabi. It’s not an official event, but you get to play the top players here. We consider this event as a nice starter for the new season. I just hope to play two good matches. I want to continue the momentum that I had in the last two months of the last season.”

rituraj@khaleejtimes.com