Djokovic says needs to revive ‘consistency’ that saw him dominate men’s tennis

International tennis champion Novak Djokovic said he needs to rediscover the level of consistency that saw him dominate men’s tennis in the run up to Wimbledon.

A year ago Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon as holder of all four grand slams.

This time, he is down at world number four having seen all of his prized crowns removed from his possession - the rot setting in at Wimbledon last year when, as defending champion, he fell to Sam Querrey in the third round.

“It does feel different than 12 months ago when I had the four grand slams under my belt, and coming into Wimbledon, completely different than I mentally am today,” Djokovic said.

“I still have to trust myself, my abilities to play well, and to win against anybody on any surface. I will just try to reach that consistency level that I need, because I felt like that’s something that I was lacking.”

Wimbledon

In preparation for Wimbledon, Djokovic teamed up with coach Andre Agassi who will be with the Serb as long as required at the British tournament, in hopes of claiming back one of his lost grand slam titles.

The 30-year-old teamed up with the eight-times major winner before the French Open, having split with his long-time coaching team.

But the American had already flown home before Djokovic crumbled against Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals.

This July 3, 2011 file photo shows Serbia's Novak Djokovic kissing the trophy after defeating Spain's Rafael Nadal in the men's singles final at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships, at Wimbledon. AP

The exact details of the arrangement between 12-times grand slam champion Djokovic and Agassi remain vague, and Djokovic says they are “going with the flow”.

But he says he will able to count on the 47-year-old’s wealth of experience throughout the Wimbledon fortnight.

“He will be in London for Wimbledon and he will stay as long as I stay in the tournament, so that’s great news,” Djokovic told a news conference at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park, where he has taken a wildcard for the Aegon International.

“Obviously Roland Garros, the eight or nine days that we spent together, were very valuable for me to get to know him, to learn from him. We shared a lot of experiences on and off the court, things that he has been through that I can relate to.

“So having him around is not only great for myself but also for tennis. He’s supposed to arrive for the weekend. So he’s going to be there before the tournament starts.”

(With Reuters)