Cape Town - Tennis legend Ilie Nastase believes former world number one Novak Djokovic will pull himself out of his current slump.
The Serb was bundled out of ATP Mexico in the quarter-finals by Nick Kyrgios, punctuating a string of poor results which included a second round exit at the Australian Open in January.
Late last year, Andy Murray unseated Djokovic after his long reign at the top of the ATP rankings.
There have been rumbles that Djokovic time at the top of men's tennis is over, given recent reports that tennis is no longer his top priority given his new family.
Nonetheless, Nastase - a two-time grand slam winner - believes it’s a matter of time before Djokovic bounces back.
"I think he's going to be back," the 70-year-old is quoted as saying on Sky Sports.
"He can just play from Monday to Sunday and start fresh on Monday like others. People don't understand that. There's just pressure for him to win week-by-week and you get tired and you cannot concentrate for so long.
"Maybe the other guys play well, that's also possible. But Djokovic is a great champion and you have to count on him coming back, that's for sure. He's a fighter."