Dubai: Advice on fatherhood has been just one of the surprising ways coach Boris Becker has been able to help Novak Djokovic in their first year working together, according to the world No.1.
The 27-year-old Serb became a father to son Stefan in October, but still managed to lift his eighth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month, crediting his German six-time winning coach in the process.
“Boris became a father at around 27 years of age too and so we talked a lot about that and how it influences your tennis and career,” said Djokovic at Sunday’s media session preceding this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he’s on the lookout for a fifth win in nine appearances. Djokjovic has Vasek Pospisil of Canada in the first round and is in the same half of the draw with Tomas Berdych.
“He said it gave him new energy and motivation, and he tried to use that not as a negative or a distraction but as a source of happiness and new motivation. It’s something that gave him second wind to go out there and be even better on the court.
“But it requires help from more people and better organisation because a baby is not easy to handle. It’s all a matter of organisation with close ones and understanding what your priorities are, and the support that you’ll need.”
Ironically, Becker, who is himself a father of four, was spotted feeding the ducks near the pond beside the Dubai Tennis Stadium with his youngest son Amadeus after reporters made their way back to the media centre from Djokovic’s interview.
Djokovic added that he hoped his first year under Becker had been just the start of a long success story. Having been together since the beginning of the 2014 season, Djokovic went on to win two Grand Slams, five events and the ATP World Tour Finals.
“I think, especially in the second part of 2014, things started to come together and the relationship clicked both on and off the court,” he added. “We’ve never had an argument or fight and I’ve constantly learnt something new from him.
“He’s contributed to my success, a lot from the psychological point of view, mostly because he has been in these situations before and understands what I go through, the challenges I need to face and the obstacles I need to overcome to win big titles and be World No. 1, he knows because he was there, we’ve had very similar careers.
“I feel like it’s only the beginning, we’ve won two Grand Slams together, made the finals of Roland Garros [the only major Djokovic hasn’t won] and had a lot of success together.
“But expectations are always high for him and myself. For a long time he wasn’t involved [in tennis after retirement] so it’s exciting to see him back on Tour, and it’s great to see not just him but many other tennis legends active in professional tennis today as it brings new light and something fresh on Tour.”
