By Rizwan Rehmat
DOHA: World number one Novak Djokovic, back after a six-week lay-off from active tennis, can barely wait to launch the new season at this week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
The 28-year-old Serbian hasn’t picked up a racket since his win over Roger Federer at the season-ending championships in late November.
“I look forward to competing because I haven’t done that for a month and a half,” Djokovic, the top seed in Doha, said yesterday. “I am very excited to come back to the Tour and start the year here in Doha.”
Djokovic, who managed 82 wins with just six losses in the entire season, said his desire to recharge worn out batteries was a deliberate move.
“The last match that I played was in London, World Tour Finals,” Djokovic said.
“I haven’t played any lead-up exhibition events, haven’t played any IPTL, and the reason for that is because I felt like it was too many matches already in the entire season and that I needed some time to regroup,” the affable Serbian said.
“(I had) do something else to recharge for another long season,” he said when asked about his 2016 season.
Djokovic, who became the first man in the history of the sport to win more than $21m in prize money in one season, said resting well is an important feature of his game.
“For me, recovery is as important as the work and the training that I put in,” Djokovic explained.
“I think the right balance and understanding to put in the quality and intensity of working rather than quantity of hours spent on the court is something that was always part of our approach and philosophy as a team,” he added.
“I have played so many matches. (It) has obviously got me very tired - mentally, physically and emotionally. I had a couple of weeks off and I got time to spend with my family as I tried to keep my thoughts off tennis.
“Tennis season is the longest season we have in sport. There is not much time where you can actually allow yourself this luxury of thinking and doing something else.
“That’s what I had this time. I tried to use it in the best possible way because I know that once I start training and preparing myself, (then) I (will) get my thoughts and my mind back in tennis,” he added.
Coming down to Doha for the build-up to this month’s Australian Open was an easy decision for the Serbian tennis giant.
“The conditions for the players here in Doha are terrific. The tennis centre is phenomenal,” Djokovic said.
“You can see that there is a history to this event and the people running the tournament obviously share the passion and love for the sport. The attendance is very good, especially in the later stages of the tournament,” he said.
“It’s the second time that I have come to Doha and the reason is because I like to have a lead-up event and official matches before the Australian Open,” he said.
“The second reason is because I really enjoyed the first year. Last year I enjoyed that I was hosted and welcomed in a very kind and pleasant way.
“I felt that the people were contributing to the organisation of the event and just the overall feel is that tennis is respected in Qatar. That’s why I came back,” he said.
Last year Djokovic won 11 titles including three Grand Slams. The title wins included victories over Federer at Wimbledon and the US Open finals which was followed by victory over the Swiss legend at the season-ending championships in London
The Serbian, who launched the season by winning the Australian Open last January, surprisingly lost the French Open final to Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.
Djokovic was quick to applaud coach Boris Becker’s role in helping him fine-tune his game.
“Boris has obviously contributed a lot mostly from the mental perspective ever since he joined the team,” Djokovic said.
“There was a lot of scepticism whether or not he can help me or whether or not he’s a good choice to be part of the team, but we have proven that it was the right choice that we both made,” Djokovic said.
“He had a great relationship and communication with Marian and the rest of the team from day he joined the team,” he said.
“He’s a very wise man, he’s very smart. He knows when to communicate, what to say. He is completely understanding of me and my life, and he’s trying to help me as a person and a player as much as he can.
“I’m very grateful to have him on board as everybody else on the team and I think this kind of team has helped me to achieve such success in 2015,” Djokovic said.
When asked about his chances in Doha, Djokovic said: “I feel very motivated to do well in Doha because it’s a new tournament for me. It’s only the second time that I’m playing here in my life.”
He added: “I went out early in quarter-finals last year to (Ivo) Karlovic. That actually motivates me even more to try to go as far as I can and compete for the trophy. Of course, I want to do that!”
Djokovic plays a qualifier in his first-round clash at Qatar ExxonMobil Open which starts today. The Peninsula
