Novak Refreshed, Watch out Rafa, Roger, and Murray

Novak Djokovic admitted he needed to take a break after the disappointment of losing in the Australian Open quarterfinals but after a month away from tennis he is ready to return rejuvenated and ready to stage a bid to win the Dubai Duty Free Championships for the fifth time in six years.

 

Djokovic even saw the need to turn his back on the Serbian Davis Cup team and leave a line-up already denied the services of injured Janko Tipsarevic and suspended Viktor Troicki to a Swiss team spearheaded by Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka and backed up by Roger Federer. But he felt a break was necessary to rekindle his passion and he is now back, firing on all cylinders.

 

“I felt the need to get back to where I come from,” said Djokovic. “I wanted to be away tennis for a while and just reconnect with my roots. I gathered my family, my friends and my fiancée and we went to Mount Kopaonik in the Serbian mountains where I grew up first hit tennis balls. We skied, we hiked, we did things together and I have figured out that tennis is not the only thing in my life. There are things that are far more important.”

 

However that statement is not meant to send signals to the likes of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray or any other member of the tennis elite that the winner of six majors and 35 other singles titles, is about to hang up his racket anytime soon to simply slalom down ski slopes.

 

“I’ve achieved a lot but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to stop playing tennis or I’ve lost the passion,” he insisted. “On the contrary, I’m very committed to maintaining the continuity of success I’ve had in the last few years.

 

“My general wish is to live my life with as much positive energy as I can. As long as I do that, the tennis flame will burn in me and I will have love and passion for the sport. But I have re-assessed some very important things in the last few weeks.”

 

Djokovic has coach Boris Becker with him in Dubai for the second tournament in the new allegiance and he’s convinced the relationship will produce the desired results.

 

 

“I’m trying to absorb as much knowledge from the people around me like Boris,” said Djokovic who insisted an extremely reluctant Becker accompanied him as he leapt into a sky-diving simulator belonging to His Highness Sheikh Hamden bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai. “I can learn so much from Boris. He’s not there to change my game, I’m not suddenly going to start hitting one-handed backhands and playing all out serve and volley. But he knows about being in those extremely big situations and let’s be honest I’ve lost a few very big matches in Grand Slams in the last year that perhaps I should have won.

 

“There is plenty of motivation in me. I’m only 26 years old, there still so much to come from me. I want to use this opportunity when I’m healthy, I’m enthused and I’m inspired to play top tennis. It’s a complex sport and all depends on you. Therefore you have to be the one that pulls the strings. You can have the best team around you but if you can’t mentally stay tough and keep yourself motivated, the results will not appear.”

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Australian Open, Dubai Duty Free Championships, Janko Tipsarevic, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Sports, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News, Viktor Troicki

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