DUBAI // Viktor Troicki, Novak Djokovic's good friend and Davis Cup teammate, does not foresee the top-ranked Serb's domination of men's tennis coming to an end anytime soon, especially since none of tennis' Generation Next seem capable of challenging him.
“Five years, six years, seven years ... I don’t know,” said Troicki, when asked how much longer he thinks Djokovic’s reign can last. “Do you see anyone else coming? No, so maybe even longer, I don’t know.”
Two years his senior, Troicki has known Djokovic since the days when they competed on the junior circuit and even in those early days, Troicki could see Djokovic was different than the rest of the kids.
“He does things different than the others,” said Troicki, who is not surprised to see Djokovic pull ahead of not just his peers on the ATP Tour, but even those feted other members of the Big Four club – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
“He takes it more serious ever since he was a kid. He is just very talented and also very professional, and that pays off. I mean, he’s now reached the level where he feels everything under control.
“I guess you will have to ask him how it feels to play at such a level, but for me looking from the side, it’s just amazing. It’s crazy what he does.”
Read more: Viktor Troicki to face Marcos Baghdatis in the first round – see the full draw
Also see: Novak Djokovic enjoys some leisure time in Dubai ahead of tournament – in pictures
Troicki, the Serbian No 2, does joke about “not being the No 1 even in my own city” because of Djokovic, but he is definitely proud of what his compatriot has achieved.
“He is a great friend and I can learn so much stuff from him,” added Troicki. “It’s great to have him as a friend and as a player we all look up to because he is doing unbelievable things in our sport. It’s amazing what he is doing.”
Playing the good friend, Djokovic was very vocal in his support of Troicki when the player was banned for 12 months for missing a dope test in 2013. He practised often with the world No 1 during those days and, returning to the tour in mid-2014 with zero points against his name, Troicki is on the verge of forcing his way back into the top 20.
He is No 21 at the moment after a great start to the year, winning the title in Sydney and reaching the final in Sofia, and his ranking means he is the No 5 seed for this week's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“I have worked harder with my coach Jack Reader in Australia in the off-season,” said Troicki. “I was in Australia four weeks before the tournaments started, so we prepared well for this season and yeah, we were ready from the start.
“On the court, I am playing with a lot of confidence. Also I have improved a lot of parts of my game, which helped me feel more confident on the court and that’s about it. I am happy with the way I have started the season and hope to continue with that good run in the next part.”
Knocked out by Djokovic in two of his four main draw appearances in Dubai, Troicki avoids an early clash with his friend, but still has a tricky first round match against Marcos Baghdatis, an opponent who has beaten him in four of their five duels.
“It’s always a tough tournament here in Dubai,” he said. “No easy opponents. I have Marcos Baghdatis, who we all know is a great player and if he is playing good, he is really tough to beat. But again, I have played him and know what to do on the court. So I need to play my best to beat him.”
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