Recently, Novak Djokovic announced that he would retain Boris Becker as his coach. The Serb finds himself on the cusp of finishing the season at world No. 1 with play underway at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Despite starting on shaky ground, the road through the 2014 season turned into a fruitful one for Djokovic, with the six-time Grand Slam champion as part of his team.

2014 may be remembered as the year of the high-profile player-coach partnership. Among those who found the spotlight include Roger Federer, who paired with Stefan Edberg, Marin Cilic with Goran Ivanisevic, and Michael Chang in the Kei Nishikori camp. However, after Novak Djokovic finished last season by winning 24 straight matches following the U. S. Open, many were surprised by the announcement of his partnership with Becker. But Djokovic had not won a Grand Slam title since the 2013 Australian Open, which was the only major that he has won since 2011.

The partnership created a duo who have seen success at the highest level on multiple occasions and despite contrasting playing styles and personalities, both could relate to the rigors of deep runs during Grand Slam fortnights. Much like Ivan Lendl to Andy Murray, it was thought that Becker would be most valuable during the two weeks of the four most prestigious tournaments. Djokovic claimed that Becker would help add an “aggressive kind of mindset” to his outlook. From a strategic standpoint, with Djokovic having mastered his game from the baseline, it was suggested that Becker could infuse glimpses of his world-class volleying prowess. Perhaps even more valuable, Becker was sought to bring a mental toughness and edge to a demeanor that Djokovic acknowledged had fallen short in some matches at previous Grand Slams.

However, Becker was quickly placed on the hot seat in January at Melbourne when the three-time champion failed to defend his title at the Australian Open. Djokovic fell to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. This result, highlighted by a serve and volley error at match point that was seen as a Becker-influenced tactic, brought criticism to the partnership. However, with the media attacking the relationship, Djokovic defended his coach. “Well, it's been the first official tournament for us. I'm satisfied with things that we've been talking about and working on,” he said afterwards. Nevertheless, the “If it's not broke, don't fix it” crowd fed off the result as many still questioned Becker's role.

The loss at Melbourne appeared to fuel the Serb and somewhat united the duo. Djokovic would go on to win 27 of his next 29 matches, including three ATP titles. He would enter Roland Garros with momentum but fell to Rafael Nadal in the final of a tournament the Spaniard has dominated.

However, Djokovic would soon end his drought of Grand Slam titles by defeating Roger Federer in a classic final at Wimbledon. Afterwards, the Serb acknowledged that he had finally reached an understanding with Becker, yet he would not consider the two as friends.

Meanwhile, Becker admitted that the road was not always smooth at the beginning, “He's a great student. Yet he is very hard-headed. He is very convinced about his way. He should be, so some of the conversations weren't that easy,” he said.

Djokovic's whirlwind year continued off the court with marriage and impending fatherhood on the horizon. Perhaps these distractions played a part in his sub-par U. S. Open Series, where he failed to advance past the round of 16 at both the Cincinnati and Toronto Masters. He would exit at the hands of Kei Nishikori in the semifinals of the U. S. Open.

Nonetheless, with Becker at his side, Djokovic recovered quickly in the fall winning titles in two of the three tournaments following Flushing Meadows, which included the Paris Masters. Now, he looks to conclude the season with a successful run at the ATP World Tour Finals, solidifying his finish at the top in 2014. He jumped out to a fast start in London, defeating Marin Cilic 6-1 6-1 on Monday.

Certainly, there are examples of notable player-coach partnerships that may have appeared sound on paper, but fell short of expectations. Recently, for example, Maria Sharapova briefly paired with Jimmy Connors in a failed alliance.

But despite early criticism by some and his tension with Becker at the beginning, Djokovic's announcement that they have renewed their partnership is a statement that adversity can strengthen relationships. In their case, it's an acknowledgement that at this point in his career, Djokovic's team is more valuable with Becker than without him. With Djokovic now judged by success at Grand Slams, he certainly is more equipped to handle those fortnights with Becker in his box. Friends or not, the results from this cooperation appear to suggest that this team is heading in a positive direction and one that could see Djokovic produce even greater success in 2015,