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Djokovic advises copycat Murray

Novak Djokovic was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year on Monday © PA Photos

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Novak Djokovic has warned Andy Murray that he will have to find his own path to the top rather than trying to imitate his rivals.

World No. 1 Djokovic was crowned Laureus World Sportsman of the Year on Monday in recognition of his stellar 2011 season, winning ten titles and rising to the top of the world rankings.

Born just a week apart, Murray and Djokovic have been friends since they played together on the junior circuit, but Djokovic has left the Scot trailing in his wake, winning four of the last five majors to firmly establish himself as world No. 1.

Djokovic credited much of his physical superiority to a new gluten-free diet, prompting Murray to follow suit, but the Serb believes Murray needs to discover his own ways to hone his physical and mental game.

"I've never liked comparisons because everyone's different, especially in tennis, which is an individual sport," Djokovic said. "So everybody has a different path and everybody has a different structure of the body and different minds.

"I think you have to adjust to it and find the best possible way to benefit. For me, it was a learning process in the last couple of years. I'd been No. 3 in the world for three or four years in a row and Andy Murray was No. 4.

"What changed for me was the mental stability and strength and experience that I got over the years playing at the top level and just believing I can win the major tournaments, believing I can win against the biggest rivals at the later stages of major events."

Djokovic's latest victory, a gruelling six-hour victory over Rafael Nadal to defend his Australian Open crown was a feat of endurance, but he claims it underlines the need to reduce the schedule.

"I respect everybody's opinion but I think that everything in life is change, is evolving and tennis is no different," Djokovic said. "It's become a lot more physical than it was 10, 15, 20 years ago. Considering that fact, I believe that there should be some changes for the good of the sport, for the good of tennis players.

"We have seen a lot of injuries lately, and this is not good for anybody. There is no use in top players being injured and so we're all already working towards finding a solution to that issue. It's not going to be easy because you have to consider tournaments and the tradition of the sport. But we sincerely hope to have better scheduling so we can have healthier lives after we finish our careers."

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