Refreshed Djokovic Poised To Kick Off 2016 In Doha

The burning question on the ATP World Tour entering the new season is how World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will respond following a mesmerising 2015 campaign.

Could the stellar Serb replicate his record-breaking success from a year ago? Djokovic says it is all about finding the right motivation and spark as he starts fresh in the new year. As the Belgrade native has proved, anything is possible.

“The fact that we all have the same starting point, I think it does give me a certain kind of excitement because it’s a long season ahead,” Djokovic said. “You have to take the best out of the season that I had in 2015 and try to use that as confidence or incentive for this one. That’s the kind of approach.

“I’m very excited to come back to the tour and start the year here in Doha as I did last year. The conditions for the players are terrific. The tennis centre is phenomenal. You can see that there is a history to this event, and the people who are running the tournament obviously share the passion and love for the sport. The attendance is very good, as well, especially in the later stages of the tournament.

“It’s only the second time that I’m playing (Doha) in my life and I went out early in quarter-finals last year to 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.”

A physical specimen, Djokovic prides himself on his supreme fitness and the World No. 1 gave a glimpse into his off-season training regimen. He says that finding the right balance between quality and intensity of his workouts is the most integral part of his philosophy.

“For me, recovery is as important as the work, as the training that I put in… The fact that I have played so many matches has obviously got me very tired, mentally and physically and emotionally. I needed to recharge on all of these aspects and part of my being.

“I had a couple of weeks off and time to spend with my family and try to keep my thoughts off the tennis. Tennis season is the longest season we have in sport, so there is not much time in those weeks where you can actually allow yourself this luxury of thinking something and doing something else.

“That’s what I had this time and I tried to use it in the best possible way, because I know that once I start training and preparing myself that I get my thoughts and my mind back in tennis and back in what I should do.”

Djokovic opens against qualifier Dustin Brown in the first round – their first FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter. A potential semi-final clash against third seed Tomas Berdych looms large, with second seed and longtime rival Rafael Nadal lurking in the other half of the draw.