Novak Djokovic wins timely grass title in Eastbourne, and adds Mario Ancic to coaching team

Three-time Wimbledon champion and No2 seed Novak Djokovic changed his usual grass preparations for The Championships this year, and it has paid off in spades.

Not since 2010 has Djokovic played a tournament in the short window between the French Open and Wimbledon, even last year when that window was extended to three weeks.

But after a season in which titles have been hard to come by as he wrestled with confidence, injuries and an unexpected shake-up of his coaching team, the Serb took a wild card into the ATP250 in Eastbourne rather than following the well-trod path to The Boodles for a couple of exhibitions matches, and he sailed to victory over No2 seed Gael Monfils, 6-3, 6-4, in 76 minutes.

The tournament began in difficult circumstances: rain washed out play on his first day after just one game. But he advanced to the final without dropping a set—indeed played only one tie-break—to achieve just what he needed: match-play on some pristine English grass.

“This has been the best possible build-up and preparation for Wimbledon. I have nothing but a positive impression of the tournament and of Eastbourne.”

“It was a great week. Obviously it feels right, looking back on the decision-making process and whether or not I should come here, now it feels like it was a good decision. But also a few days ago it felt right because I had a lot of time spent on the court, some good match play.

“But most of all, I felt very welcomed here by the people. On and off the court I was greeted, I was respected. So, for me, it was just a phenomenal experience that I will definitely take with me to Wimbledon.”

If Djokovic goes on to lift the Wimbledon trophy, he will become the first player to win an ATP title and a Grand Slam title in consecutive weeks since Pat Rafter in 1998.

During the course of his campaign, news also broke that Djokovic’s new-look coaching team, which added Andre Agassi for part of the French Open, for Wimbledon, and then for an unspecified period, will incorporate another familiar name, the 33-year-old Mario Ancic.

The tall, popular Croat burst onto the tennis scene as a teenager to beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2002, and he went on to reach the semis at The Championships in 2004.

But after reaching No7 in the world, and while studying for a law degree alongside his professional career, Ancic contracted glandular fever, and despite a couple of attempts to return to tennis, he formally retired in 2011.

Djokovic told Eurosport: “First of all, he’s my very good friend… He was very, very talented but he was very unfortunate with injuries and some illnesses that ended his career, but we always stayed in touch and he’s one of the closest friends I have ever had on the tour.”

Indeed Ancic and Djokovic are contemporaries: the Croat is only three years older than the Serb. And what is more, they played each other four times, with the only Ancic win coming at Wimbledon in a three and a half hour five-set battle in the fourth round.

Ancic has since gone on to become an investment banker, but Djokovic has tempted him back to tennis on an ad-hoc basis.

Djokovic went on: “I dragged him over back to the sport, so I’m really glad to see him now in London and really glad to spend time with him and Agassi as well, and hopefully we can have a good tournament.”

In the women’s final, one of a quartet of women in contention for the No1 ranking during Wimbledon, Karolina Pliskova, beat Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4, 6-4, to win her third title of the year, and convert her final run in Eastbourne last year to silverware this time around.