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U.S. OPEN

August 29, 2016

Novak Djokovic

New York, NY, USA

N. DJOKOVIC/J. Janowicz

6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First of all, what is your physical status at this moment, and what was it before the match?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's getting better and better each day. I'm glad that I'm experiencing that. So hopefully as the tournament progresses, I'll reach my peak.

Q. What were you having treatment for and what pains were you suffering?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It was just prevention. It's all good.

Q. Of what?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Of my arm.

Q. When you come back to New York and you have all this fun in post-game interview, why is this tournament different?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, each Grand Slam has something different about it. US Open is the most entertaining Grand Slam, I think. There's a lot going on on and off the court. You're in one of the biggest, most important cities in the world. New York City, always something going on.

There is a great vibe during these couple of weeks for the tennis. Everybody's in town. It's always fun to be out there.

Q. It was the first match for you after a long break during this period of the season. What were you looking for in your game? Now that it's done, were you satisfied completely with what you did?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Look, each day presents us some kind of challenges that we need to overcome, accept and overcome. It wasn't easy today playing against Jerzy for the first time. He's a very, you know, potent player, powerful serve, big forehands. Unpredictable really.

Play well as he did in the second set and he can make a couple double-faults in a row in the important moments. It's really up and down. That's why it wasn't easy to keep the concentration.

But I thought I've done well in the third and fourth to bounce back from the dropped second set. It's an opening match, night session. After all I've been through in last couple of weeks, it's pleasing, of course, to finish the match and win it. I'll try to look positive and just think about the next day.

Q. With injuries you've had coming in here, how you're feeling, is it fair to say your expectations are measured or lower for this tournament? You're willing to not be too much of a perfectionist?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: To be honest, I take it day by day. That's what I feel at the moment. It's good, as I said, just to finish the match. I'm pleased that as the match progressed I was feeling better and better.

Tomorrow is a new day. I hope that I'll feel overall good so I'm able to perform at my best for the next match.

Q. Vesely next, one of the guys who has beaten you this year.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Different surface, different circumstances, best-of-five. But still, Vesely deserves respect. He's somebody that has been kind of trying to break through as the next generation.

Couple years ago he already was there. He made a name of himself. Just gained the consistency I think over the last couple of years. He has a big game, a big serve, big forehand, and moves well for his size. So let's see.

Obviously he hasn't played many times on the Arthur Stadium. If you get to play there, it's quite different. I like playing there, especially with the roof construction. Conditions are quite suitable to my style of the game. Hopefully I'll be able to slow his serve down a little bit and then take it from there.

Q. One of the great things about you is you've learned and grown over the years. People love you because you've been transparent and open. Can you share about what you've learned or how you've grown over the past couple months?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Last couple months? Whew. I think as anybody else really, life arranges things to happen for you so you can evolve. Whether you recognize those kind of signals and circumstances as an opportunity to grow, that really depends on you, how conscious you are.

I'm really grateful to be able to have that conscious at the moment. Hopefully I'm at the right path, you know. As everybody else, I'm trying each day, day in and day out, to first of all find always new ways of motivating myself to play tennis.

I have more than enough happiness in my life and blessings to be a father and a husband. Life is wonderful. I mean, there is no doubt about it. I cannot sit here and complain and whine about the issues that, you know, everybody has in each day in their lives, privately, professionally.

But that's a beautiful thing. When you expect the least, that's when you have things coming at you as life's lessons. I'm glad that I'm able to accept them and to greet them with a consciousness of wanting to evolve and wanting to get the best out of them.

That's all I can say. I'm very grateful.

Q. You had the beautiful statement on court where you said Ashe is like a dark tunnel; at least there's a beautiful light at the end. Does that in some way reflect your spirit some days?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Ashe is like a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe I said something wrong. It's not like a dark tunnel.

It does feel like you've been illuminated on the court with all these lights and all the show and everything that's going on. The opening ceremony is always a special night, of course. Phil Collins is one of my favorite singers. I was enjoying that and getting pumped before the match.

Yeah, it was wonderful to come back and play a night session that is undoubtedly the most special night session that we have in sport.

To be there and play another time, I don't take anything for granted. I know the player in my position earns a right to play these kind of matches in the biggest stadium. But, again, I try to be aware, be present. It's really a beautiful moment.

Q. You've been elected to the players council. How do you see this new role?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: First of all, an honor to be elected to be part of the council. I was part of the council some years ago for three years, then I had a little gap where I wasn't involved in the politics of tennis, if you want to call it that way.

Now the players, most of the players, majority of the players that were in the council, they put my name in the election group, so I was elected to be in the council. I gladly accepted it, because it's a calling. It's a responsibility. If, as it is the case, my colleagues and friends have given me the trust of being there, I need to take it.

Of course I'll do my best to contribute to the evolution of this sport for the time being. The first council meeting was very long but productive. I was elected the president. Kevin Anderson is vice president.

But to be honest, you know, it doesn't change much. In the council we are all even. We are all equal. It was interesting to really sit there and hear and talk about, discuss, debate about different subjects that are ongoing right now, new ideas, new prospects.

You know, we are all in the same ship basically: the council people, the board people, and in the end of the day, tournaments as well. Even though historically the system is such that there is 50% of players, 50% of tournaments, many times there is a conflict of interest a little bit.

In the end of the day, we are all part of the same governing body. We're all part of the same organization. As I said, we're all in the same mission to make this sport better.

Q. Did you come into this tournament, and now that you've won this first match, do you think it's a little easier road that Roger is not part of this tournament or does that not factor in at all?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, to be honest, it doesn't really factor in. I mean, still the draw is 128. You still have guys like Andy, Rafa, Cilic, Nishikori, Raonic. You still have the best players in the world.

Certainly it's not the same when you have Roger and you don't have Roger for the tournament, for the fans. He's been one of the most popular players of all time, one of the most successful players of all time. There is no doubt that every tournament is missing him. Of course.

But on the other hand, we got to focus on the players that we have at the moment. So I think even without him, it's a very strong field. I'm sure it's going to be a good tournament.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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