Novak Djokovic aims to turn Wimbledon tide against Roger Federer

THE Serb is desperate to reverse his recent Grand Slam record in tonight’s duel with the Swiss master.

A combination of photographs created on July 5, 2014 shows Serbia's Novak Djokovic (L) returning during his men's singles second round match against Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek on day three of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships and Switzerland's Roger Federer (R) hitting a return during his men's singles third round match against Colombia's Santiago Giraldo on day six at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London. Djokovic takes on seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer in the men's singles final in the 2014 Wimbledon Championships on July 6, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ANDREW YATES - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

WHEN Novak Djokovic walks out to contest tonight’s Wimbledon final he will follow his long- established routine by reading the famed words of Rudyard Kipling inscribed above the entrance to Centre Court and pausing briefly to consider their meaning.

Unlike Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, the Serb has always been a man intent on expanding his intellect by studying literature and assimilating it to his requirements. As he prepared yesterday to try and end a losing run of three Grand Slam final defeats and equal the score with Roger Federer in 2014 after losing two of their three encounters, he again discussed the meaning of If with Boris Becker, the great champion he employed to reverse the trend.

“I know all about those twin impostors, triumph and disaster,” he said. “I have experienced both on the very court where I will play Roger and have thought about those words a lot. I appreciate this is a complex sport and yet it’s individual. It all depends on you and therefore you have to be the one that pulls the strings, but you can bring in the best possible advice and that’s why I turned to Boris.”

The brief from Djokovic to Becker, a Wimbledon winner three times, was simple and to the point: help me to recapture the mindset of a true champion, who can prevail in the biggest matches and prove myself to be stronger than Nadal, Murray and Federer. Today, as Djokovic plays his third Wimbledon final in four years, comes the test of that liaison.

His chronicle of near- misses since winning a sixth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open 18 months ago makes painful reading. He memorably lost to Murray in last year’s Wimbledon final and suffered the same fate against Nadal two months later at the US Open. Those two defeats, combined with last year’s French Open semi-final loss against Nadal, convinced him of the need to augment his support team. The transformation of Murray under Ivan Lendl appeared to be proof that former legends can make the difference.

A month ago in another high-stakes confrontation with Nadal, this time in the final at Roland Garros, Djokovic gave his all - though even with Becker in his corner it just wasn’t enough. “Losing three out of four Grand Slam finals, it cannot be satisfying,” the 27-year-old said. “I know that I can win the title. I should have won a few matches that I lost in finals of Grand Slams in the last couple of years.

“I have always had high expectations for myself and set very high standards. So bringing Boris into my team showed I’m trying to upgrade my game. I wanted somebody who has been a Grand Slam champion, world No1 and Davis Cup champion; somebody with presence who has had a huge impact in the history of our sport. Somebody who can understand what particular situations I’m facing and what kind of challenges I need to overcome to be a Grand Slam champion again and reclaim the No1 spot in the world.”

Becker, like Lendl during his time with Murray, is not a coach intent on making sweeping technical changes to his player’s game. Instead, the German wants to instil the ability to withstand high pressure, decide on solutions on the run if problems arise and force home superiority if even the smallest chink in the opponent’s armour presents itself. The most important factors are clarity of thought and avoidance of panic.

Conversations between the pair have been many, both face to face and on the telephone when Becker was in hospital for double hip replacement surgery earlier this year. The German has counselled the Serb as best he can but ultimately only one player will be facing Federer, the seven-time champion, this afternoon.

Becker said: “I can talk about it with Novak as much as we like off the court. He can read as many books and talk to as many psychologists as he wants but at the end of the day it’s up to him and how he fights those inner demons. My role has been talked about enough already and I’d like to think I know a lot about tennis in general, not only pressure moments.

“It’s up to the individual to find an inner voice when it matters the most and he found it against Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-final. Now he’s got to do the same against Federer. When it was really important he became very calm and adopted tunnel vision. To me that was the best possible sign.”

Let nobody be under the illusion that Grand Slam finals are experiences to be enjoyed by the contestants. Becker contested 10 in his career and volleyed away the suggestion with the force he used when diving around Centre Court. “These guys go through hell out there in front of a million eyes,” he said. “I’m the first to understand that when you are an emotional guy like Novak, it’s not always possible to keep your emotions perfectly in check. Yet he lives by his feelings and needs to be emotional to play well. It’s tough to find that fine line; what is enough and what’s not.

“So he has to be himself and find a way to win on his own. I can only tell him so much and if he does lift the trophy it’s because of him and nobody else.”

Djokovic has had to work hard during this year’s Championships. Going into the final he has spent almost five hours longer on court in the six preceding rounds than Federer and run more than three miles further. He knows his fitness should not be comprised after spending long hours working under Gebhard Phil-Gritsch, who previously turned Thomas Muster into the ultimate tennis iron man.

What Djokovic must avoid is pondering on the recent past. “We all know that Grand Slams are the four biggest events we have in this sport and not winning a title, after being in several finals since getting to six Slams, is something that I want to undo,” he said.

“I want to try to have a fresh start and have a title. But it’s an experience, a learning process. It’s mental. You have to be able to be on the top of your game, fresh and motivated, calm and composed. That is my intention. ”

The Sunday Times