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ROGERS CUP

August 9, 2018

Novak Djokovic

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

S. TSITSIPAS/N. Djokovic

6-3, 6-7, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you take us through the two matches today starting with the singles result which obviously is not what you were hoping for, and then how did the doubles sort of help compensate for that result?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It was definitely great to finish off the day, you know, with a win in doubles after the disappointing match for me today.

I thought Tsitsipas played very well, and he deserved to win without a doubt.

But I just played not that great, you know, especially from the baseline. I didn't return well. So I just -- all in all, it wasn't that great of a match.

But, you know, you have those days, and better earlier than later in this series.

Q. Was it mostly a question of being a little rusty after the holidays and having played -- you played two matches, but still it's not...
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, look, you know, it takes a little bit of time, I guess, to get used to these conditions. The ball is flying really a lot and it's quite quick and bounces off the court high.

And I just -- even winning the straight sets in both matches, first two matches in this tournament, didn't feel that comfortable. You know, I just kind of trying to find that consistency and the rhythm.

The shots from back of the court in my practice sessions, you know, I felt like every day was getting slightly better.

But, you know, today was obviously a tougher opponent, and he just played better in the decisive moments. I had my chances to come back in the third set when I dropped my serve at 15-40. An easy forehand. I missed it. But that's sport. You have to deal with these kind of situations.

And I have to move on. And hopefully this next few days with doubles and practice sessions, I can get what I need before Cincinnati.

Q. You usually have one of the best serves on the tour.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah.

Q. It's not something very usual for you not to have single break point, would you say.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah.

Q. Was there something in Stefanos' serve today that maybe surprised you? Because Stefanos told us that you practiced a lot together.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, but I have never played him, you know, official match. And we did practice, you know three, four times. But, you know, it's quite different, obviously, practice and match.

And he won against Thiem yesterday. He was feeling well. I think he was serving 18 aces, you know, last match, and then also in the first match a lot of aces.

So, I mean, he was just serving big. You know, he was serving all corners. So I didn't really read his serve that well, to be honest, and that's all it is.

Q. Where do you see his game in regards to the other NextGen so-called guys out there? He seems very confident out there. He speaks highly of everybody. A lot of players seem to speak highly of him. Just your thoughts on him as an overall player compared to some of the other guys?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: He's definitely one of the leaders of NextGen without a doubt, especially this season. He's had some terrific results and terrific wins.

And, you know, he's showing a lot of commitment, a lot of discipline. You know, he's putting in the hours in the gym, on the tennis court, and it's paying off. I mean, he's very talented. He was the best junior in the world.

If he keeps on going this way, he's got a good future.

Q. The last couple weeks, the ATP tour has seen a lot of rain and I think over your career you've seen a lot of rain delays.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah.

Q. How does a player handle it emotionally and physically and what have you seen, especially what happened last week in Washington?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you just have to accept. That's the first thing. Obviously the more you get frustrated about it, the worse it gets for you. I mean, you can't change it. It's nature. And if it happens, it happens.

And when you don't have a court, the facilities, you just have to -- sorry -- the roof at the tennis facilities at tournaments like this one, you just have to wait in the locker room or, you know, do whatever feels comfortable for you to do.

The problem is -- I think tough thing is the interruption. You know, going on the court, playing a game or two, and then coming back, and then having the entire day, you know, with interrupted play. That's probably something that frustrates everyone.

When it's raining for a few hours, it is what it is. But it's better than getting yourself on the court for 20 minutes and then coming back and, you know, doing that for a few times during the day.

Q. You have come back from a tough stretch of your career and you won Wimbledon. What's your number one motivator right now? Is it getting back to No. 1 in the world? Is it just compiling more major titles or is it all titles?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, Grand Slams are probably, you know, the most important tournaments for me, for many players.

But at the same time, I really want to do well in these kind of tournaments as well. You know, these are the biggest events we have in ATP tour. I've won 30 Master series events so far in my career. And, you know, that stat, you know, shows how committed I am to play well in these tournaments.

So I really want to do well. So, I mean, losing in this kind of tournament, it's not something I don't care about, you know. It really frustrates me. But I have to accept it, deal with it, and move on.

I'm going get into Cincinnati, the only 1000 event that I didn't win in my career, and hopefully I can have a good tournament. And then, of course, the US Open around the corner, which is, yeah, the most important one.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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