Novak Djokovic will have to live with a ghost of his coaching past with longtime former mentor Boris Becker now guiding young Dane Holger Rune.
Becker worked for Team Djoko nearly a decade ago, guiding the Serb to six Grand Slam titles during three seasons together.
Now the 55-year-old Becker is coaching Rune; the partnership started on a slow note this week as the 20-year-old lost a Basel semi-final to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
But the new pairing will be on a mission at the Paris Bercy Masters from Monday as Rune defending his 2022 title and fights to hold his eighth and final position in the ATP Finals in Turin, ,
Djokovic is preparing for memories to come flooding back in Paris, where he lost the final to Rune last November.
“It’s a good decision on Rune’s part to invite Boris to their team. Boris is a legend of our team. sport, someone who understands tennis really well from a player’s perspective,” the Serb said in Paris.
The 36-year-old called Becker “incredibly intelligent, confident, he is famous for his mental toughness.
“Holger is a young player who has ranked in the Top 10, but it is different to take another step and start winning Grand Slams. It is normal that he has ups and downs. I think he has great potential to win Grand Slams, without a doubt.
“I’m sure that Boris will help him improve his game.
“I saw they were playing chess. That was the first thing Boris introduced to our team. I think it’s great to concentrate, have mental clarity and a strategy.
“Boris is a dear friend, someone who has been through a lot in recent years. I’m glad to see him again as a coach.
“It probably won’t be pleasant or comfortable to see him in the rival box if I face Holger, but at the same time I have a very good relationship with Boris, he knows that I love him and his team very much. family”.
