PERTH – Serbian world number three Novak Djokovic is confident his heavy playing schedule at the end of 2010 will not hinder him as the new season gets under way.
Djokovic only had a couple of weeks off at the end of last year, after leading Serbia to a historic Davis Cup win over France in early December. Speaking after a 3-0 win for Sebia over Kazakhstan at the mixed-teams Hopman Cup on Sunday, Djokovic admitted the short break was not ideal preparation for the Australian Open but said he was comfortable with the heavy workload. “I think I got used to it,” he said.
“There were quite a few players who had a similar situation. I think (Rafael) Nadal the last year or two years back, when he won the Davis Cup, had a very short break or no break at all. “I have played the most matches on the tour in 2009, about 100 matches, and it was a very short break then as well. That’s just the way it is.” The 2008 Australian Open champion heads into the new season trying to plot a way to conquer Nadal and Roger Federer in the Grand Slams, two players he believes are among the best five of all time. He joked earlier in the week that he was unlucky to be playing at the same time as the two all-time greats but added that he was also proud to be consistently ranked third.
