Novak Djokovic
Tennis Britain - Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - O2 Arena, London - 20/11/16 Serbia's Novak Djokovic looks dejected during the final against Great Britain's Andy Murray. Reuters/Toby Melville

Novak Djokovic, in the middle of his worst season since 2010, should seek advice from Roger Federer, according to the mentor of the Serbian World No. 2. After relinquishing the World No. 1 ranking to Andy Murray in November, Djokovic suffered a shocking second-round defeat at the Australian Open to Denis Istomin followed by consecutive losses to Nick Kyrgios in Acapulco and Indian Wells.

After capturing his first-ever French Open championship last June, Djokovic made a third-round exit at Wimbledon before losing to Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka in the finals of the U.S. Open. With a healthy Rafael Nadal storming into this year's French Open, odds makers don't expect Djokovic to end his Grand Slam drought in the near future. However, on paper, the 12-time Grand Slam winner can't be ruled out just yet.

Federer, 35, has made a remarkable comeback after taking a six-month break to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery. Since his return at the start of the year, Federer has risen from World No. 17 to World No. 4 in quick time thanks to victories at the Australian Open, BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and Miami Open.

Novak Djokovic must seek help from Roger Federer, feels mentor

Former Serbian Davis Cup coach Bogdan Obradovic feels Djokovic can take a leaf out of Federer's book. "Given that Federer was able to return into the top 10 and win this year's Australian Open at the age of 36, I see no reason why Djokovic can't be the world number one again. Maybe Djokovic should talk to Federer. They are friends, they have known each other for a long time and the Swiss can certainly give him some good advice," Obradovic told Serbian newspaper Blic on Sunday, via Yahoo Sports.

According to Obradovic, Djokovic needs to restore meat to his diet. "All other players seem to be galvanized against him while his own motivation appears to be inconsistent and shifting all the time. He is not at his best; his serve keeps fluctuating as do elements in his game which really used to be at highest level consistently. However, it is difficult to play at such a high level indefinitely. Murray has a huge advantage in the standings but I am sure Djokovic will be back in contention for the top spot."

Last week, Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals against Belgian David Goffin despite leading 4-2 in the decisive third set. The Serb will now participate in the rest of the clay-court season including the Barcelona Open (April 24-30), Madrid Open (May 7-14) and the Italian Open (May 14-21) before defending his crown at Roland Garross starting in the last week of May.

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