Since capturing his 12th Grand Slam title at the Roland Garros last year, Novak Djokovic was expected to continue his dominance in men's tennis but the Serbian has seen his form dip since then. He started by losing his No.1 rank at the end of last year after Andy Murray defeated him at the ATP World Tour Finals.
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Following that loss and the loss of his coveted No. 1 rank, Djokovic looked like he was back to his best at the start of the year after he defeated Andy Murray in the finals of the Qatar Open in January, before the Australian open, but it was not so. The Serbian suffered a shocking defeat in the second round of the Australian Open to Uzbek Denis Istomin.
Since that loss at the Australian Open, Djokovic took part in the recently concluded Mexican Open where he was expected to put in a strong performance and at least reach the finals, but suffered a defeat in the quarter finals as Australian Nick Kyrgios defeated him in straight sets.
Following another disappointing performance his former coach and mentor Niki Pilic said that he has lost his tenacity that enabled him to rule men' s tennis for so long.
"Djokovic reached the Mount Everest of tennis last year after winning the French Open. He had 16,950 points and that's a tally which will never be repeated again, but loss of form and missing tournaments made his advantage melt away."
Pilic, who guided Djokovic as a junior in his Munich academy said that the hard work he put in during the last six-seven years is probably taking his toll on him now. Pilic himself is not sure if Djokovic can reclaim the top spot in men's tennis but said that he wants him to be the person he was.
"Novak had a physical and mental edge second to none; he was in sixth gear. That tenacity is no longer the same. It remains to be seen whether he can rediscover it and get back to the top level. The hard work of the last five or six years has taken its toll. Tennis was the priority every morning and afternoon and evening and all I can tell him is to be the person he was."
