Djokovic needs to work harder to regain first spot: Boris Becker

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi/Belgrade: After losing momemtum in the second innings of last season, Novak Djokovic was toppled as the world number one by Andy Murray.

The primary reason behind this is said to be the drop in his work-rate, believes the Serb's former coach Boris Becker.

Speaking just a day after the duo separated, Becker said that the Serbian needs to focus a bit as he seems to have lost it midway.

"He didn`t spend as much time on the practice court in the last six months as he should have and he knows that," said Becker, who helped Djokovic to six grand slam titles after they teamed up in December 2013.

"Success like this doesn`t happen by pushing a button. Success like this doesn`t just happen by showing up at a tournament. You have to work your bottom off because the opposition does the same," he told Sky News.

"The profession of a tennis player is probably the most selfish one in sports because it has to be about you and he is the first to say he is a family man, so of course his wife and the rest of his family had to take back seats.

"They don`t spend enough time together. I had it too, 20 years ago. It is just the nature of the beast, being a tennis player."

Having completed a career slam when he won his maiden French Open title in June, Djokovic suffered an astonishing loss of form.

He crashed out of Wimbledon in the third round to American Sam Querrey and made a first-round exit at the Rio Olympics at the hands of Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro.

Then the Serb lost U.S. Open final to Swiss Stan Wawrinka, a defeat six-times major champion Becker said was a massive psychological blow to the Serb.