	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS

November 19, 2016

Novak Djokovic

London, England, United Kingdom

N. DJOKOVIC/K. Nishikori

6-1, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It was pretty clinical from you today. I guess you're pretty happy with your performance.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, I mean, the best performance of the tournament came really at the right time. Everything kind of clicked together tonight.

I felt really well. I started with a great pace, great concentration, dictating the play, mixing up the pace. Everything was going well. I must be very pleased. I enjoyed myself.

On the other hand, you know, Kei was not obviously close to his best. The fact that he played late last night, it's been a long year for him, long tournament, so he was probably a little bit tired.

Nevertheless, I tried to make myself present on the court, make him feel that I'm playing till the last shot, which I did. Even 6-1, 5-1, I was really committed.

All in all it was a really good performance. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's final.

Q. A wise woman once said, You don't know what you've got till it's gone. How sweet would it be to regain that world No. 1 ranking after the up and down six months you've had? How much of a favorite do you think you are for tomorrow's match given the amount of time Andy spent on court this week?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: We talked about this so many times in the last couple months, especially here. We all know there is a lot on the line.

The results, I can't predict. I can't expect anything except to really get myself in the right state of mind and try to perform as well as I did tonight. That's going to be my only goal.

Other than that, I must say that I'm very honored to be part of the history. I hear this is the first time in the history of the ATP that the two best players are deciding the rankings in the last match. That is something we should all be conscious of.

I'm excited to go out on the court and battle.

Q. Of all the finals you had this year with Andy, do you have them fresh in your mind, or tomorrow is another story, statistic?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I was never that great in math anyway. I'll leave the stats and numbers to somebody else.

As I said, all I can do is really be in the moment, just digest what I've managed to achieve here tonight, take really some positive stuff. There's a lot of positive things to take from this match. I'll take it to tomorrow's match.

Concerning the finals we played this year, tomorrow's final will probably be side to side to the Roland Garros final. It's the two biggest finals we will probably play. So that's all I can say.

Q. You and Andy go back a long way. Here you are 29, last match, No. 1 ranking.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Seems like a movie story scenario. It's a script.

Q. Can you reflect on that.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's a long story. A romance I'll call it (laughter).

Q. Bromance.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Bromance. Let's be correct.

Q. Are you pleased that Andy has not had to go through you, and are you pleased he has to do that if he's going to take the year-end from you?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: As I said at the beginning of this tournament, concerning the rankings situation, I actually have things in my hands. I don't need to depend on anybody else. That's all I've been focusing on, to be honest, really building my game, getting myself to a higher level, quality level of tennis in each match. As I progress through the tournament, that's what's happening. Hopefully I'll be able to stick with it and perform as well as I did in last couple of matches tomorrow.

Andy, you cannot take anything away from what he did in the last four, five months. Yes, we haven't played against each other, but his level was phenomenal. He deserves to be in the situation where he is at the moment. He's No. 1 of the world, and deservedly so.

He's had 20-plus matches won. He got himself out of trouble today because of that confidence. He really has been winning a lot.

I'm sure, even though he has had a couple of very long matches in the last couple days, I doubt that he's going to feel tired. I know that he's very fit. He's committed to the working ethics. He's going to do everything to recover and to be ready for tomorrow.

Q. Did you notice the spectator trying to get on the court tonight?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, I did. I've seen what you have seen. I don't know more than that.

Q. Were you afraid at all?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. I actually think, judging by his trajectory to the court, that he wanted to get in the middle of the court and I guess be seen or something or send a message to somebody. I don't think he wanted to harm the players.

I sound like a private detective here, kind of reading his course. But, yeah, I wasn't feeling threatened at all.

Q. You just mentioned about Andy's 22 consecutive wins. You also won last 22 out of 23 matches in the 02 Arena. Does that give you extra boost of confidence for tomorrow?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It sure does. I've had lots of success on this court in the last five, six years. Every time I step on the court, I relive certain kind of memories from the years before. 80% of the guys that I get to play year after year are more or less the same. That gives me that comfort. But it's not something that decides the match. I'll say it that way.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297