Djokovic sidesteps queries on Boris Becker's 'work-rate' remarks
Australian Open title holder Novak Djokovic has played down the rumours of a rift between him and former coach Boris Becker saying that he has nothing bad to say about the German. Djokovic also said that regaining the World No.1 rank will never be his priority ahead of the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic made it clear that he was never planning to replace tennis great Boris Becker as his coach, after the pair parted ways in December 2016, ending a three-year association during which the Serb won six Grand Slam titles.
"I'm not thinking of bringing anybody in. This is the coaching team that there is," said Djokovic, confirming that he will start his Australian Open
When asked to comment on Boris Becker's criticism of his work rate, Djokovic maintained that there was no bad blood between them.
"We've had amazing success. It's all I can say. I don't want to go back and comment on anything. I kept a very friendly relationship with Boris. We just went separate ways," the 29-year old said.
Djokovic said that he was never overconfident about his ability and said that he wants to think he is on par with the others in order to retain his fighting spirit.
"Nobody is invincible. I never thought of myself as a superior player on the court, even though of course at times I was very confident, I was winning a lot of matches," he said.
"But (I know) how it feels on the court if you get overconfident, that's why I don't want to get into that kind of state of mind.
"I still want to put myself in a position where I'm quite even to other players, fight for this trophy as anybody else, even though I'm defending champion," the World No.2 said.
The 12-time Grand Slam winner also said that he is never bothered about his ranking but wished it would be good if he reached top ranking on his way to titles.
"As a consequence of the results, if I become number one, that's great. Of course, that's what I want. But it's not my main priority, let's say," he said.
With his first match in the Australian Open coming up against Spain's Fernando Verdasco, Djokovic said that he is not nervous about the match.
"I still haven't had any nightmares, so I can't call it a nightmare draw. I just see it as a huge challenge. I hope I'll be able to deliver," the 29-year old said.
The defending champ also spoke about the extreme heat in Melbourne which made him retire early during his 2009 quarter-final against Andy Roddick.
"I don't know still a player that enjoys playing in 40 plus or 35 plus (degrees). It's same for everybody. It's not easy," he said.
"At the end of the day, that's what you expect. You come to Australia during the summertime, and the conditions can get quite challenging and extreme."
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