Dubai: World number one Novak Djokovic believes that the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) will give him a lot of positive energy going into the 2015 season.
One of the hallmarks of the IPTL is the feeling of teamwork among the players in all four franchises. Much of the success of this has been ascribed to the top players getting an opportunity of being part of a team — something that rarely happens when they are on the road at different tournaments during the year.
“I can take so many new things from the IPTL. I have new friendships, new relationships and, most importantly, I can take a lot of good, positive energy from here,” Djokovic said.
“We all travel together, we have dinner together, we have fun together and we bond together as a team. There is a separate kind of spirit prevailing in all the teams. Yes, it is something different as we don’t get ourselves involved in team competitions so much. We are all having a lot of fun together.
“The format is very special for tennis. Most of the guys have been travelling for three weeks and I can see that it’s a lot of fun and excitement. I was in India for three days and the team spirit that we got to feel is amazing. This is something that we don’t get to experience much on the Tour as we stick to ourselves and our teams. Here there is a full team supporting you and I love it.
“We are all humans and it is okay that we hang out together once in a while. For the moment, it is all about enjoying what we do best and that is playing tennis.”
Djokovic has had another amazing season, winning seven singles titles including Wimbledon — his seventh Grand Slam — and the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 in London last month. The Serb, who is playing for UAE Royals in the IPTL that concludes at the Hamdan Sports Complex here on Saturday, has a season record of 61-8 and has held the No. 1 spot for 121 weeks.
“I have high expectations from myself always. It’s a long game and I am trying to enjoy my time here and play some good tennis along the way and get ready for the next season,” Djokovic told media after the Royals’ exciting one-point win over the Manila Mavericks late on Thursday.
“I ended up this season as best as I could and hopefully I can carry that confidence into the new season. And I hope we can take the IPTL title as well as that can only help me boost my confidence for 2015.”
