Erratic Tomic in awe of new hitting partner Djokovic ahead of meeting

Djokovic, the world No 2 and star man on tour so far in 2011 with just one loss from 46 matches, has taken 18-year-old Tomic under his wing and recruited him as a regular practice partner.

Tomic, the fourth youngest player to reach the last eight at SW19, is still making his way on the tour after a rocky start that saw him suspended by the ITF for walking off court during a match, and also have a high-profile falling out with then Australian No 1 Lleyton Hewitt.

The influence of Djokovic, who gave a reminder of his younger, fiery but seemingly forgotten self when he threw his racket while playing Marcos Baghdatis on Saturday, seems to have been good for Tomic, though.

And the teenager from the Gold Coast admits he holds the Serbian in great esteem.

“Novak is a champion,” Tomic said.

“He’s obviously won grand slams before. My relationship’s really good with him. I’ve hit with him a lot of times. He’s a cool guy. One of the nicest guys on the tour.

“I think he has respect for me. I’ve got a much bigger respect for him, obviously, being in the top three for so long and now being close to becoming No 1.

“To play against a guy like him that’s No 2 in the world, it doesn’t really get much better than that.”

Tomic plays as an Australian but was born in Germany to Croatian and Bosnian parents.

He moved to Australia as a two-year-old when his dad, John, who is now his coach, got a job as a taxi driver in the town of Southport, Queensland.

His background dictates he is able to communicate with Djokovic in Serbo-Croatian and, having been approached by Djokovic about being his hitting partner ahead of a recent exhibition match their relationship has flourished.