Djokovic looking forward to life with Becker
In this Friday July 5, 2013 file photo, Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a return to Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina during their Men’s singles semifinal match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London. The second-ranked Serb said Wednesday Dec. 18, 2013 that six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker will join his staff for next season as head coach. AP
ABU DHABI – Novak Djokovic saw off David Ferrer 7-5, 6-2 in the final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Saturday and wasted no time looking forward to the season ahead with his new coach Boris Becker.
The world number two was just too strong for the Spanish world number three and stormed to victory in the exhibition title for the third time in a row.
It was also his fifth straight title since losing the US Open final to Rafael Nadal — and nothing looks likely to stop him going into next month’s Australian Open, where he is aiming for a fourth consecutive title.
He also has his sights set on wresting back the world number one slot from Nadal.
The 26-year-old Serbian hired former Wimbledon champion Becker to improve his game after a disappointing 2013 by his own high standards.
Becker has said he will spend around 20 weeks per year on the ATP Tour with Djokovic and says his young son Amadeus and wife Lilly will join him on occasion.
With Becker courtside, Djokovic overcame an early deficit and said: “I have to say I’m really glad to have Boris on the team.
“It’s great that it started with winning this trophy right here. Hopefully, we can win more.”
Asked what he expected Becker to bring to the table, Djokovic laughed. “We’ll see, ask me in half a year,” he said. “It’s still too early to say where he is going to take us.”
Including Davis Cup matches and two unofficial wins in Abu Dhabi, Djokovic has won 26 matches in a row since losing to Nadal in the US Open final.
