Novak Djokovic says he is ready to silence the doubters by winning the ATP Tour Finals for a record-equalling sixth time and reclaim the world No 1 spot.
After completing the career Grand Slam at the French Open, the normally dominant Serb has fallen away alarmingly, and he will need to improve his form significantly if he is to claim a fifth straight title at the O2 Arena.
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His 122-week reign on top of the world came to an end last weekend when Andy Murray climbed above him, but Djokovic is determined to round off 2016 by retaining the Tour Finals crown he has won for the last four years.
Victory in London would allow him to reclaim the top ranking from Murray and would also equal Roger Federer's record of six Tour Finals victories.
"My high standard of results has taken its toll a bit. I didn't get to recover fast after the French Open to compete on the highest level," Djokovic told reporters at London's O2.
"I had to dig deep and take some time to reflect because it was an incredible achievement.
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"It took a bit of time to get back on track but all in all it was a very good year.
"I've had a good couple of months. It's not been up to the standards of the 12 to 15 months before that but in sport you can't always expect to win.
"I'm here in London to crown this year with the best possible result. I've had an amazing last four years at the O2 Arena."
The 12-time Grand Slam winner reacted in feisty fashion when asked about his state of mind, physically and emotionally, heading into the Tour Finals, which he opens against Austria's bright hope Dominic Thiem on Sunday.
"What makes you say that? I'm my normal self every day. I was talking about certain ups and downs that everybody has," he said.
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"You do have days when you are feeling maybe less determined to play, and some days you feel more, but as long as the majority of the days you feel positive then things are going well.
"That's the case with me, even after playing 10 plus years at the professional level. I still feel I have a lot of gas in the tank, a lot of years ahead of me."
Djokovic acknowledges Murray is deserving of No 1 at present and poses a significant threat to his ambitions.
"I have only words of praise for what he has achieved in the last year or so. Definitely he is a well deserved number one at this point," Djokovic added.
Check our game-by-game coverage from all group matches at the ATP World Tour Finals in London - including Andy Murray - on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad and our Twitter account @skysportstennis.
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