Djokovic delights in role as only big fish by the Sussex seaside
Serb embarks on charm offensive by practising at venues around town for inaugural men’s event
Ablack panther in a suburban garden. That is the impression given by Novak Djokovic’s visit to Eastbourne this week. The big beasts of tennis usually keep to their own hermetically sealed worlds. And to a regular loop of top-end events, where they know everyone from the chefs to the locker-room attendants. Credit, then, to Djokovic for breaking the cycle.
Since arriving on Saturday, he has practised at a variety of spots, including not only Devonshire Park but the Meads Lawn tennis club and Moira House School – a boarding establishment bestknown for producing Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales.
Judging by Djokovic’s beatific mood yesterday, his Eastbourne hotel does not feature a triggerhappy major or a rat in the biscuit tin. Instead, his Instagram feed suggests that he has been mixing with the seagulls, walking on the beach, and fancying his chances on the court. When was the last time he entered an event where he was the only top-15 player?
“To be part of a new event, I don’t get to experience that too often,” Djokovic said. “We have more or less the same schedule each year over and over again, so it’s great to be in Eastbourne for the first time.
“It’s a small town, but being part of the combined event, there’s a lot of people coming out to watch and support the players. You can feel the appreciation for the tennis that they have here. They love this event, and so for me it’s obviously a pleasure to be here.”
Djokovic’s Aegon International campaign will start at 11am today against Vasek Pospisil, a dangerous hitter who has already taken out Andy Murray this year in Indian Wells. Djokovic is hunting for rhythm and confidence, after a patchy season in which his only title arrived in the first week of January. Last year, the world No4 came out of the French Open with 47 matches under his belt. This season, the equivalent figure is 31.
“I’ve only seen him for 25 minutes,” said one tennis insider, “but he just seemed like he was very relaxed and in a really good place. If I was allowed to bet on Wimbledon, I’d be putting a few bob on him today.”
There was no sign of the usual entourage that surrounds a tennis champion.
Admittedly, Djokovic has got rid of the entire team who helped him go into last year’s Wimbledon as the owner of all four major titles. But here in Eastbourne he has slimmed down even further. Brother Marko is absent, as is Pepe Imaz, the so-called guru whose T-shirts proclaim the virtues of love and peace.
Only Djokovic’s manager, Edoardo Artaldi, has made the trip. At 52, Artaldi might not be the ideal man to make his client sweat in a grass-court tune-up. But he was good enough to play Challenger level tennis in the early 1980s, and arrived at yesterday’s press conference in his whites, clutching his racket.
As for Djokovic’s latest supercoach, Andre Agassi, he is definitely too much of a Gulliver for this tennis Lilliput. But these two legends are due to resume their alliance later in the week, even if the timing will depend on whether Djokovic survives until Saturday’s final here.
“He [Agassi] is supposed to arrive next weekend,” Djokovic said. “So he’s going to be there before the tournament [Wimbledon] starts. He will stay as long as I stay in the tournament, so that’s great news.”
Asked whether he had been satisfied by Agassi’s fleeting availability – which has so far extended to just over a week at Roland Garros – Djokovic replied: “Andre has a very busy life. He has a big family, he lives on the west coast of America. He’s got his foundation, his businesses.
“We don’t have anything formal. We don’t have anything signed. It’s just as much as he can [do]. I embrace that, and I’m grateful for it. We’re going with the flow.”
The phrase “going with the flow” sounds like an accurate overview of Djokovic’s whole approach to this week. Having smiled his way through his media duties yesterday apparently delighted to have drawn a full house from the media to this sleepy Sussex seaside town, he proceeded to make a generous offer towards Agassi’s predecessor. Boris Becker, who ended a three-year stint as Djokovic’s head coach in December, suffered an unexpected blow to his public standing last week when he was declared bankrupt by a London court.
“I checked in with him right away,” said Djokovic. “I love Boris, and as a coach he contributed a lot to my career. I told him, I’m always there for him. He can count on me.”
This was Djokovic in philanthropic mode. On yesterday’s evidence, he should step off the well-trodden carousel of grand slams and Masters 1000s more often.