Novak Djokovic says that once he and coach Boris Becker became more familiar with each other, he began to improve consistently. “I learn something new from him constantly," Djokovic told the press before the ATP Dubai tournament. "He contributed a lot from a psychological point of view because he has been in these situations before. He understands the challenges I need to face, the obstacles.”
The Serb got off to a slow start with Becker last year, falling to Stan Wawrinka in five sets in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, and then losing to Roger Federer in the semifinals of Dubai. But he went on to win Indian Wells, defeating Federer in the final, and then won Miami with a win over Rafael Nadal. Djokovic then went on to defeat Nadal to take the Rome Masters and, after losing to Nadal at Roland Garros, beat Federer to win his seventh Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. He won the Australian Open for the fifth time last month.
Djokovic has now won eight Grand Slam titles, two more than his coach’s haul. “We still want to achieve a lot—it’s only the beginning," said Djokovic. "Especially in the second part of 2014, things really started to click together for us on and off the court."
Becker is also helping Djokovic adjust to life as a tennis-playing father. "We've had similar careers because I think he became a father when he was 26 or 27,” said Djokovic “We talked a lot about that part, how that is influencing your tennis and your career and how you can organize your life. If I'm able to sustain that over a long period, I believe results will come as a consequence of that pure emotion, of playing the sport I fell in love with the first time I held a racket in my hands.”