Melbourne: When Novak Djokovic romped to victory at the Australian Open in 2008, it seemed a new era was about to begin at the top of men's tennis.
Three years on, the Serb is still looking for grand-slam title number two.
Now, after some soul-searching, reassessment and dedication, the rejuvenated 23-year-old goes into this year's event confident he can break the stranglehold that Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer have held for the past five years.
"After 2008 a lot of people thought I would win more and I really expected myself to as well, but for some reason, mentally I destabilised," Djokovic said as he fine-tuned his preparations for the first grand slam event of 2011.
"Everyone goes through a mini crisis. But you have to overcome it, stand up and say, 'ok, now I really want to get back, now I have to dedicate myself to the sport, get a couple of good years and reach the lifetime goal, to be number one'.
"I think I have all the qualities that I need to do it."
Though Djokovic has remained in the world's top three ever since that triumph at Melbourne Park, he had rarely threatened to add to his grand slam tally until he snapped out of his slumber in stunning fashion in the middle of last season.
The Serb was back to his best as he beat Federer in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open and then frightened the life out of Nadal in the final before the Spaniard ground him down over four sets that many felt was as good as anything they have seen.
SOFT CENTRE
Since then, a galvanised Djokovic has been on a roll.
After ending 2010 by helping Serbia win the Davis Cup for the first time in its history, he looked mightily impressive as he won all three of his matches last week at the Hopman Cup mixed team event in Perth.
In the past, some have criticised Djokovic for what they see as a soft centre, citing his withdrawal from the 2009 Australian Open quarter-final against Andy Roddick because of heat exhaustion and cramps.
He has also been badly affected by allergies at times while he also admitted that personal problems were an issue.
Although he did not explain the exact nature of the problems, he said he was now firmly back on track.
"I was always trying things, like changing the racquet," he said. "I had been through a tough period with some ups and downs in 2009, 2010, so I just thought, 'let's start really focusing on the big ones'.
"I have four or five great guys around that are able to win grand slams, though obviously Federer and Nadal are the two best.
"But I've been winning against them and I know what it takes to be on the big stage. I know how it feels to play in a full stadium, at grand slams, in the last stages, so this is definitely what I want to focus on in 2011."
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