Melbourne, Australia: It was a sweet deal. After answering an assortment of questions about his coach and his prospects for winning a fourth consecutive Australian Open title, Novak Djokovic halted his pre-tournament news conference and walked around the auditorium offering chocolates to the assembled critics.
He originally offered chocolates as a sweetener last year at Melbourne Park, as a way of apologizing because he had to skip a scheduled photo shoot for the champion.
As he opened the boxes of chocolates Sunday, he explained it as "a little tradition we started last year."
Then he got up, walked up a flight of stairs and started offering the "chocolate delights" around, joking about diets and insisting "It's for free, it's for free!"
Djokovic is aiming to be the first man in the Open era to win four consecutive Australian titles and to join Roy Emerson as the only man with five or more.
The No. 2-seeded Djokovic starts Monday against Slovakia's Lukas Lacko, who is ranked No. 96. That's a night match on Rod Laver Arena immediately preceding Serena Williams' opener against Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty.
