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SHANGHAI ROLEX MASTERSOctober 6, 2014Novak DjokovicSHANGHAI, CHINA NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I apologize for being late. I had some things I had to put together. If you allow me, I'm happy to announce something. For many years already, many fans around the world have been asking me about my memorabilia, the hats, shirts, where they can find and buy the clothes to wear with my logo. Unfortunately we were not able to put it all together so far. But today is an official day where I'm, with my team, opening an online official shop through my official website, NovakDjokovic.com. I'm going to partner with my sponsors, SEIKO, Head, adidas and Uniqlo. All their products will be available on the website. So e‑commerce shopping. I'm really excited to invite all the people to join this initiative because all the proceeds will be directed towards the foundation. I have no personal economical benefit from this. It's all going to the foundation. It's all going to improve children's lives in Serbia, their education. I'm very pleased to announce this and hopefully fans around the world will have an opportunity to have my memorabilia around the world, to have access to it, to buy it. Of course, personally it would make me very happy to see on the court fans wearing my shirts and hats and other memorabilia. But also there is a different agenda to it. So I invite everybody to buy and contribute to the foundation. Thank you very much. Now we can start with the common questions. Q. I wonder if you feel tired after winning the China Open and how do you get ready for the Shanghai Rolex Masters? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't feel tired. I actually feel very fit and have been practicing, preparing myself for these two tournaments. I had three weeks between the US Open and the Beijing tournament. I didn't get too much energy out of me last week. I'm happy to have that, without dropping a set, winning a tournament in a great fashion yesterday against a top player. It only can boost my confidence. I'm hoping I can continue in the same way this week. Q. You seem to appreciate very much this Asian swing. Can you tell us why? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, the biggest reason is because I really feel very welcomed and I feel good as soon as I come to Chinese soil. A lot of fans, a lot of people following me, supporting me, making me feel like at home. That's, I guess, the main reason for my good performances over the years. Then conditions. I think the conditions are pretty suitable to my style of the game. Q. Is a factor in your success at this time of the year your fitness regime, your diet particularly? This is a time of year when a lot of players are very tired and aren't playing their best, but you always seem to be at the top of your form at this time of year. NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it definitely plays an important role in these circumstances, the reasons that you mentioned. All the hard work we put in throughout the year, it kind of pays off at this stage. The four Grand Slams are the biggest events in sport, and most of the world's attention are directed towards those tournaments. With US Open finishing a couple weeks ago, I think it's normal to expect that players and everybody feels a little bit exhausted. They're not able to make that extra push. So that's where I seek my opportunity. For the reasons I mentioned before, I obviously enjoy my time spent in China. I try to preserve the good condition of my body, of course, with a great team of experts. Everybody makes sure that I'm feeling good and performing as best I can. Q. Obviously there's a lot happening in your life besides the tennis. Soon to be father, you just got married. How difficult is it at a time like this to focus on tennis, the day‑to‑day things? Also, can you talk a little about your online collection? Have you designed any part of that collection, and if so, what? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: There is a lot happening in my life. Life cannot be better at this moment. I cannot ask for more. I'm really grateful for all the things that I'm experiencing in my private life and professional also as well on the court. I had a lot of amazing achievements in last couple of years. Those are the result of, first of all, great joy of playing this sport, and of course discipline and professionalism from my side and the team of people around me. With the success obviously comes attention, comes more responsibility. But that's why these people are around me, because they are trying to make sure I'm playing my best tennis on the court and trying to protect me from all the unnecessary distractions, trying to focus the energy in a right way. And regarding the online shop, yes, I've participated. As I mentioned before, there's going to be all my four partners, my sponsors, they're going to have their products portrayed on that online shop. So fans around the world will be able to buy a SEIKO watch, adidas shoes, Uniqlo match wear, so forth. Also the clothes and different accessories with the foundation's logo. That's the point. The point is for me personally to see, of course, as many people around the world wearing the foundation's logo with my name on it, and of course the clothes and other products of my partners, and in the same way contributing to the children's education in Serbia. Me personally, as I said before, I have no financial benefit there. All proceeds go to the foundation. Q. You've spoken many times about your two coaches, how they dovetail together. Last week was Marian, this week is Boris. Doesn't appear to be too much wrong with your game at the moment. How do they work in different ways? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, they communicate each day. Obviously when Marian was present at the tournament in Beijing, he was speaking on the phone to Boris each day. This is going to be the same routine followed here, same way of communication, vice versa. I think that's a crucial kind of point in this right approach to the practices, to the matches, to the preparation for what I need to do. My game is there, more or less. There's not much of a significant change that I can implement in the game. With Boris coming as a head coach this year on the team, his goal was not to start suddenly changing the technique of my shots. It was more finding that mental edge, giving me that support, using his own experience of being out there and understanding what it takes to win Grand Slams, what it takes facing big rivals in the big matches. That's what we are mostly working on. The details, bits here and there on the court, are going up and down, they're adjusting. Generally my game is complete, and I will not start serving and volleying like Boris (smiling). Of course, there are some tactical adjustments, changes, suggestions from Boris. We all talk it through. Of course, I'm very glad that there is this communication going on and understanding between the two coaches so we are all working in the same way. Q. Do Boris and Marian ever disagree, and what happens if they do? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Of course, they do disagree. But I'm not present in those conversations, so it's better for me (laughter). No, I'm kidding. It's normal in any job in the world to have some disagreements, but to work it out and find an understanding at the end of the day because they're both working to improve my game and to keep me No.1 of the world for as long as possible. Q. Do you feel you never get mixed messages from the two of them? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, very rarely. No, no, no. Because of the very frequent communication and because they have a good understanding between each other, because they talk about all the subjects and all the different aspects of my game, my mental approach, recovery, so forth, all these things, what we need to work on in practice, they all talk it through. Before the information gets to me, they both agree. Q. Last year after the US Open you had a perfect record till the end of the year. Do you think of that at this time? Do you think you can do any better? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I cannot do better than I did last year. I just hope I can repeat the success. Again, it's a lot to ask at this point. I'm going to try to just kind of concentrate on what I need to do right now, and that is to take it one day at a time and see how far I can go in Shanghai. I am feeling great at this point of time with my game. Physically, as I said before, I'm not exhausted. To the contrary, I'm fit. I'm eager to compete, eager to go out there and fight. That encourages me to keep on going and see how far I can get. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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