"When you do well in one place, next year you are coming with a lot of confidence and motivation to repeat the success."

"I'm not trying to defend anything," he added. "I'm always trying to improve, so I don't pay too much attention to the rankings."

REALLY? This sounds like wishful thinking to me.
So far Djokovic has never successfully defended a title and in five of the 2007 GS and Masters failed to go as far as he had in 2007.

Actually in a candid interview towards the end of last year he admitted the mistake he had made was paying too much attention to rankings during 2008.

But pull the other leg Nole! We know you care really. You are always boasting that you have the skills to be No.1 and you were right miffed when you were not included in the top 3 favourites for this year's AO.

Winning Dubai must have been a big confidence boost but he has yet to beat one of the other top 5 this year.

Even he's not started yet, bad stories begins, please, give me a break with your bad vibration, live him alone, whatever he's going to do, it would be on his benefits, not yours or anyone else, so relax yourself and watch tennis, don't be so obsessive with Novak, there are few more guys to be obsessed of, stories are always the same on this site, Novak's bothering you a lot, ask yourself why, till then, all the best for our national icon, whatever it happened...

"So far Djokovic has never successfully defended a title and in five of the 2007 GS and Masters failed to go as far as he had in 2007."

So what?
He's defended his number three ranking over two years in a row and came close to overtaking the number two 3-4 times..get over it guys, Novak is pure tennis class and his best is yet to come, unlike the dad- in waiting.
I'm pretty sure he'll win more points out of combined IW and Miami than he did last year.
COME ON NOVAK!

Didnt mean to tread on your toes guys. But as Cheryl Murray famously said 'Think BEFORE you speak Nole'. It is because I admire his game that I wish he would stop trying to talk himself up with boastful claims which have often backfired on him. He has still not learnt how to handle life at the top and he is out of his comfort zone when talking to the press. He is much more effective when he lets his racket do the talking.

He's effective anyway, ether talking to press (cause he's very well educated,) or holding his racket, so let him talking, it's his right, not yours or even mine, he's number 3, you forget the fact, like the others, if all of us has to deal with breaking, 100 times repeated news, Mr. Mighty is going to be father, and implicated the story in tennis news, then, for God's sake, Novak has a right to say something before he starts in Indian Wells, don't you think so...

whatever he's going to do, it would be on his benefits, not yours or anyone else, so relax yourself and watch tennis, don't be so obsessive with Novak

You might try taking some of your own advice maybe?

ed251137 - you are spot on. He very clearly stated beginning of the year that he places too much emphasis on the rankings (maybe alot was the parental units doing too). A case of "If I say it enough, I'll start believing it". Anyway, he seems to do well when he has something to prove. And for the top players to hold onto their ranking in this environment is quite an achievement - the hunters becomes the hunted.

tenisbebe , 3/14/09 5:19 PM
Agree it's a relief the parents no longer seem to be courtside - they were not a good influence and had much to do with Nole 'losing his way' after the AO win. He has all the skills and his matches are never less than enthralling. But I suspect the battle will be for him to ward off Murray for the No.3 spot more than overtaking Federer at No.2. But anything can happen as we well know.