Novak Djokovic has hired German tennis legend Boris Becker as his head coach ahead of the new 2014 season, the world No2 announced on his website.
Djokovic will begin his season here in the UAE when he takes his place at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi next week. The six-time Grand Slam champion will arrive in the UAE capital as defending champion and will face stiff competition from the likes of world No1 Rafael Nadal and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray for the title.
Following Mubadala, Djokovic's preparation for the Australian Open will begin in earnest as the Serbian looks to make it four straight victories in Melbroune and a fifth overall.
"I am really excited to have the opportunity to work with Boris," Djokovic said. "He is a true legend, someone who has great tennis knowledge and his experience will help me win new trophies from the grand slams and other tournaments."
Six-time Grand Slam champion, 46-year old Becker said he was "proud Novak invited me to become his head coach."
"I will do my best to help him reach his goals, and I am sure we can achieve great things together," he said.
Becker will join Djokovic's coaches Marian Vajda, Miljan Amanovic and Gebhard Phil-Gritsch, the website said.
Vajda, who has worked with Djokovic for almost eight years, welcomed Becker into the team, saying it was a "good solution" to choose the German player.
"I realised that Novak needed a new head coach in order for him to continue improving certain parts of his game," Vajda said.
Djokovic is confident that Becker and Vajda will prove to be a winning combination as he looks to reclaim the No1 ranking spot he surrendered to Nadal in October.
"Boris brings a new and fresh approach, and together with Vajda he will make a winning combination," the 26-year old said.
He said his goal for 2014 "is to play my best tennis and to get in shape for the Grand Slams and Masters."
"These tournaments have the most weight in our sport, and I want to prove my worth at them. The team is now strengthened and we hope for maximum results," he said.
Djokovic won the Australian Open in January for the third year in a row, but he was defeated in the semi-finals of the French Open by Nadal and lost in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open to Murray and Nadal respectively.
Djokovic did end the season with a bang, however, winning the World Tour Championship in London.
Becker won 64 ATP titles in his career, including six Grand Slam singles titles. The move to hire a tennis legend like Becker mirrors Murray's successful linkup with Ivan Lendl, which resulted in the Scot winning the 2012 US Open and this year's Wimbledon.
