Novak Djokovic says he is learning to control his emotions but will always express himself on court.
Djokovic convincingly beat Borna Coric 6-3 6-4 to claim his fourth Shanghai Masters title on Sunday but was quizzed afterwards about his occasional negative body language on court.
The 31-year-old has, at times, presented a frustrated figure on court over the last 12 months, but explained that it is in his character to outwardly express his emotion.
“I’m very emotional,” said Djokovic.
“Obviously, I’m learning over the years how to control my emotions. But everybody’s different.
“I think about myself, what I do, how can I improve myself on the court,” he added.
“And, yes, it’s true that I like to express myself more positively than negatively, but sometimes negative as well.
“It’s just me. It’s my character.”
Djokovic has enjoyed a renaissance in recent months, winning at Wimbledon and the US Open, and moved ahead of Roger Federer up to world No 2 in the latest ATP rankings.
Rafael Nadal remains top, but the Serb is just 35 points behind the injured Spaniard and has hinted that he could play in one of the upcoming tournaments at the Erste Bank Open, Vienna or Swiss Indoors, Basel next week – both live on Sky Sports, where he could usurp Nadal ahead of the ATP Finals in London this November.
Federer was surprisingly beaten by Coric in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals but Djokovic thinks his old rival remains a contender for the major titles.
“I think, yeah, it was one of the turning points in his career,” said Djokovic. “Then he started winning Grand Slams like they were regular tournaments year after year.
“On the grass, this is where he plays his best tennis.
“He is definitely now challenged, I think from Nadal, and from some other players, including myself, for the major titles.
“I think he enjoys it. He looks at it as a big challenge, you know, to overcome the other players and try to win more Majors.”
