It was the Wimbledon Championships in 2015. Novak Djokovic entered the tournament as the defending champion and one of the strong contenders for the title. Moreover, he was in great form in that season, having won the Australian Open and finishing second best at the French Open. The Serb continued his brilliant form as he defeated Roger Federer to win the Wimbledon title.

However, before the tournament, Djokovic was embroiled in a controversy. His then coach, Boris Becker, had claimed that they broke strict tennis rules regarding communication during the matches. However, Djokovic contradicted his coach.

What did Novak Djokovic say regarding breaking the communication rules?

After Becker admitted that he didn’t follow communication guidelines with Djokovic before the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, the Serb was quick to dismiss ‘cheating’ claims. Talking about this, he said, “I don’t think that we’re cheating. I don’t think that’s how you can call it.”

Further, he went on to add, “I mean, there are special ways of, I would say, communication. As he mentioned, the way you look at each other, the way you feel your box, and box feels what you’re going through on the court.”

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Further, there have been many coaching violations in tennis this year too. Earlier this season, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ father received a warning for coaching his son during his semifinal match against Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open.

Djokovic to play in Tel Aviv

The former World Number 1 and 21-time Grand Slam champion is in Israel to participate in the Tel Aviv Watergen Open. He is the top seed at the ATP 250 tournament and has received a bye in the opening round. The Serb is the strong favorite for the tournament and is expected to dig deep. However, he’ll receive a firm challenge from the likes of Marin Cilic and Diego Schwartzman.

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Djokovic will also be participating in doubles at the tournament. He will team up with the local hero, Jonathan Erlich. The duo will open their campaign against Sander Arends and Bart Stevens.

Can Djokovic find success in Israel? Let us know your views in the comments below.