Spotlight on Boris Becker after Novak Djokovic's loss in Melbourne
Critics wonder if the influence of Germany's former world No 1 may actually hinder the Serb
Television viewers are used to seeing a snappily dressed Boris Becker offering his thoughts on the day's big matches from the safety of a comfortable sofa at Wimbledon.
On Tuesday, minus the make-up and the sharp threads, the German former world No 1 found himself perched on a court-side seat in Melbourne watching Novak Djokovic put through the wringer by Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open.
From talking about the game in his familiar tones, Becker found himself a central part of the unfolding drama and, when his charge stumbled, fair game for tennis writers picking over the Serb's shock five-set defeat in the quarter-finals.
But look, you know, as I said, it's the beginning of the season and we'll see what's coming next
It was a surprise last month when, on the day Djokovic was named as the ITF's 2013 world champion, or player of the year, Djokovic announced Becker had joined his team despite the six-times grand slam champion never having worked as a coach.
Djokovic had just finished the year in spectacular fashion, winning 24 matches in a row since losing to Rafa Nadal in the US Open final in September.
Despite losing his No 1 ranking to the Spaniard in October, his game appeared to be in fine fettle as he retained the ATP World Tour finals title with a comfortable victory over Nadal in the London year-ender.
All the signs pointed to Djokovic being the man to take on Nadal for this year's big prizes, with most predicting he would start his campaign with a fourth straight Australian Open title.