Then in February, when I joined him in Dubai, Novak found out that his girlfriend Jelena was pregnant, so he wasn’t really concentrating on tennis or practising, he was celebrating the fact that he was to become a father. It was an impossible tournament, but I happened to be there. We knew that, but the world didn’t because he wasn’t going to tell everyone about the pregnancy so early.

Then I messed up my hip and had to have an operation, so I couldn’t go to Indian Wells and Miami. Marian therefore agreed to be with Novak for those two tournaments, but I was in constant contact with Marian – we spoke before every match. Again the media didn’t know that and when Novak won both tournaments, the headline was that Djokovic wins when Becker is absent. Again it’s important what the player and coaches know, and much less important how it looks to the world outside.

I was back with him in Monte Carlo, where he injured his arm and lost to Federer in the semi-finals. It wasn’t exactly my fault, but the media pointed out that the only two tournaments he had won by mid-May were the two where I was absent.

Finally the whole team was back together in Rome, and Novak beat Nadal in the final. That was very important for Novak’s peace of mind – having Marian and me there; the way he won the tournament gave him a lot of confidence, and the belief that he was with the right team. It doesn’t matter who’s on site and who’s at home – it’s working. We were then all together at the French, which was a great tournament. Reaching the French Open final is a tremendous achievement for any player, and losing to Nadal in Paris is no disgrace.

But then the spotlight falls on me. Next up is Wimbledon, and now I have to deliver, because that’s my territory, I know grass court tennis better than most. And I’m alone – I talk to Marian regularly, but I’m on my own in arranging practice sessions and strategy. Finally after the match point in the final, in his mind and my mind and everyone’s mind, it has worked. If he’d lost, say against Čilić in the quarter-finals when he was really struggling or to Federer in the final, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but it might have put doubts his mind and mine. I might have thought that maybe I couldn’t help him; that I was trying to get him to be something he isn’t. Sport is defined by winning and losing. The margins may be fine, but there’s a difference, and it was very important for us that Wimbledon ended in triumph.

So Wimbledon was the most important tournament for our relationship. By a mixture of good luck and good management, I managed to combine what I knew about the place and playing on grass, and use the fact that it is my home to deepen the relationship I have with Novak.

Walking through the gates was a bit of a weird situation for me. I’d lived in the village, played in the qualifying, been champion three times, commentated on the final for more than 10 years, sat in the Royal Box – and here I was entering the grounds in a totally different role. Especially the week before, that was surreal. Novak and his physio had to remind me about the white clothing rule. I don’t think I’d even played at the Aorangi Park practice courts since my last year as a player in 1999.

It was a very personal affair. This is my home, and I wanted to protect my home. The week before, I showed Novak and his team a few things in Wimbledon village and in London, things they didn’t know, parks to go to, local things that you only know if you live in Wimbledon. For example, the traffic is different on Tuesdays compared with Wednesdays, and there are certain times of day that are best for going into central London. Most of the time we were seeing London, I was driving him – usually he has a driver, but on this occasion I was the chauffeur, and he was surprised and impressed with my local knowledge.

The World Cup was on, so we went to San Lorenzo in Wimbledon. In my playing days I used to go to the San Lorenzo Italian restaurant in Beauchamp Place, Kensington, but since then, the owner’s two sons have opened up a second San Lorenzo in Wimbledon, so we went there to eat and watch a couple of matches. Novak came to my home too. I have evenings here during Wimbledon when a few of my friends drop in; in fact every other night in 2014 we had an interesting group of people. Lilly does a very good chicken, so one night we had John and Patrick McEnroe over for the USA v Belgium match. The same evening Novak and Jelena were out walking their dog, and they happened to knock at the door and said ‘Can we come in?’ I said of course. Novak thought it was unbelievable to find John McEnroe sitting there watching the football. ‘This is home,’ I said, ‘I live here! These are my friends.’ I was very pleased that Novak and Jelena felt comfortable knocking at my door and popping in. We ended up having chicken, watching America play, and we took a picture of three Wimbledon champions in my hall. It just happened spontaneously. When you see the picture, you understand the vibe – just three guys sharing the same experience.