If Novak Djokovic's detractors thought that marriage and children would slow him down, they could be sorely disappointed.
The world's No. 1 player told tennis.com that coach Boris Becker has taught him how to use fatherhood to his advantage as he continues to compete for more Grand Slam championships and to stay on top of the tennis world.
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Djokovic's son, Stephan, was born in October, four months after the 27-year-old Djokovic married longtime girlfriend Jelena Ristic.
He described how his coach, who had a similar experience when he played, can use that to his advantage.
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"We've had similar careers because I think he became a father when he was 26 or 27," said Djokovic "We talked a lot about that part, how that is influencing your tennis and your career and how you can organize your life. If I'm able to sustain that over a long period, I believe results will come as a consequence of that pure emotion, of playing the sport I fell in love with the first time I held a racket in my hands."
With that part of his life geared toward helping his game, Djokovic has his sights set on adding to his Slam collection of eight.
"We still want to achieve a lot-it's only the beginning," said Djokovic. "Especially in the second part of 2014, things really started to click together for us on and off the court."
The Daily Mail reported that during his run to the Australian Open title in January, Djokovic credited his son for helping him claim his fifth crown in Melbourne. During Djokovic's quarterfinals victory over Milos Raonic, Jelena posted a picture of Stephan in front of the television watching his dad's match.
Said Djokovic after the match and upon learning what his wife had tweeted, "I didn't know he was watching me this way, but I felt his energy and that definitely helped me tonight."
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