	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

MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 6, 2019

Novak Djokovic

Madrid, Spain

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. For you, it's a routine in the last years to become No. 1, No. 2, No. 3. The fight goes on. In Madrid, do you feel comfortable in general?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Good afternoon to everybody. It is nice to be back in Madrid. I have had very good success and some good results here in the past. And I'm happy to be healthy playing Madrid because last year that wasn't the case. After surgery, I was on the way back and I still struggled a little bit with the elbow. This year's quite different.

So, conditions here are obviously different than any other clay court event. The altitude affects the play. The ball flies through the air quite quickly and it's not easy to control the ball. But as I said, in the memories from the years when I won the tournament in 2011 and '16, I'm trying to relive these memories again and get obviously confidence from starting off the season well in Australia.

I haven't been maybe playing my best in the last couple of months. But I'm slowly building and hopefully I can manifest my best tennis here. Thank you.

Q. Novak, you know both sides of the mettle. You know how it is to be on top and also what it is like to have a crisis. You have been practicing with Sascha Zverev today. What is necessary to get out of a crisis like this if you have so many things that might pin your focus away from tennis? And when will Sascha be able to come back to the old conditions, the better ones?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I think it can happen for him any week. It can happen this week. He won this tournament last year and he possesses the quality and as a player he possesses the game that, you know, will get him in a position to win any tournament on any surface, really. He has proven that.

I think you guys have to give him a little break. I know the expectations are high. But, look, he's a great guy. He loves the sport. I have known him for a long time. And he's dedicated. He's got a good team of people around him. He has won some big events. He's proven that he belongs to the top and he is still there.

Of course, as you mentioned, results-wise, maybe he's going through a crisis, but I'm sure he will overcome that and the good thing about our sport is that you have the big events every few weeks throughout the entire season so the only thing that is needed at times is one good week and here, he's the defending champion so it might come already this week for him.

Of course, Grand Slams, those events are I'm sure his big priority and vision. I'm sure he wants to do well in those. He is someone that gives his best everywhere. I have respect for him. I like his game. I like his personality. So, I wish him all the best.

Q. Welcome to Madrid again. Nadal is the player who has won most times in Madrid. Five in total. Looking at the rest of the draw, do you think that he can be considered one of the favorites to win this tournament again? Thanks.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Thank you. We're getting this question over and over again. But my answer will be the same. He's always the No. 1 favorite to win any clay court event. It's not any different here in Madrid. Actually, even more here in Madrid because he's playing at home.

Q. Justin Gimelstob tells us he went to see you personally to tell you about his decision to stand down from the ATP board. Do you support the decision he's made given the events of Hallowe'en night?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes. Under the circumstances it was a wise decision from his side and it's been a very hot topic in the last period. And it's unfortunate because I think he has been probably the biggest asset that players had in the last ten-plus years that he's been on the tour representing players. But at the same time, these are kind of unfortunate circumstances and he needs to go back and deal with that, deal with that case and try to find the right balance and the right state of mind before he eventually tries to come back.

I think just at this point it was better for him to step down because the whole case was just posing so much pressure and obstacles for the tour in general, but specifically for players. And, yeah, so I think it was a good decision.

Q. On that, there are some tennis sort of figures who have argued behind-the-scenes that perhaps the president's contract renewal should be reconsidered given that the guy who was at the forefront of that decision was in a strange position when he took that vote and now he's left. Roger yesterday said perhaps he could put it 'back in the mix' was the phrase that he used. Do you think that that's a done deal? Or do you think there is room for maneuver?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I actually think that technically he has the right to -- and I'm talking about Chris -- he has the right to be in a ballot again. He has the right to be a candidate officially for another mandate. And I don't know whether he wants to do that or not. I haven't spoken to him about it. But if this happens, yeah, why not.

In our sport we need as many of quality candidates as possible. He's someone that has been a president for quite a few years and knows the tour inside out. And it's going to be a really important and interesting process for us of recruitment as well. I think several companies have been engaged now in the recruiting process and research, so hopefully we can have quality candidates from inside of tennis, sports, and out of sports, so we can understand what is best for us.

Q. He said he flew to Spain to say he wanted to thank you for your support and look you in the eye. Can you tell us, was it a shock to you when he said he was stepping down? Or was there any sense that you were saying to him, I've been your supporter, but given what's come out about what's a very serious matter, I can no longer support you?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, it was his decision to step down, so he was very firm and understandable of the current situation. So, I supported that call and I supported that decision as I said. And all the other council players did that as well.

Q. I would like to know your thoughts about the David Ferrer retirement and your opinion on his career.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, as I think all the other players, I share tremendous respect for David as player and as a person as well. He's someone that has earned that respect many times in his career. His fighting spirit, his devotion to the sport is unprecedented and in a way it's sad to see him leave.

But I've talked with him the other day and he said he was preparing for this for a while and he's ready. He has a family and obviously he's ready for the next stage of his life. But he is always going to be welcome in our sport. And the doors will always be open for him.

Q. Some of the top guys have been saying they wish they had a little more information about where you want to go with the sport. I know you have been trying to keep your counsel on this. Do you have any thoughts about what you want to do, that you could tell us publicly, or maybe tell them through us publicly?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, I don't want to go through you guys to speak to them and it's not my way. I don't support that. I don't think it's right. I respect everyone's decision to do that, but I just feel like doing it behind closed doors before doing something collectively in public just sends the better message and allows everyone to understand the situation better.

Look, I've been part of the council now for quite a few years. There are a lot of flaws in this system and communication-wise for sure we can improve. When I say 'we' I mean the whole system. I don't think at times it is as productive and it is as efficient as it should be.

But at the same time, it goes both ways, so it's important for the players to reach out as well if they want to be engaged in any form of information gathering.

I'm not pointing fingers at anybody. I feel like we need to be on this boat together, as we are. All the players and tournaments of course because we are all part of the same system. But I know it because I've been like that myself in the beginning of my career when I didn't really understand how things worked. And I would not have enough information and go out and speak my mind out and then create more trouble than we all actually have. So I feel like some players don't want to be involved in the process because it takes a lot of time and energy, you know. And as a player, part of the council, you don't get financially compensated, or you don't have anything like that. It is just your pure will to contribute positively to the sport.

So, in contrary to everyone else, that is paid for their job. It is their job. It's their primary profession, occupation to be part of the system. And then, of course, they're employed but we are not. So, we have the responsibility to be there and to be responsive.

But at the same time, I understand that it takes a lot of effort, a lot of time to understand everything to going through the details and for a lot of players, including myself, at times it's too much.

But then I don't think it's the right approach to just go out in public and talk about it when you don't have enough information and of course it goes both ways. As I said, communication from the council and board reps and the whole structure, political structure if you want to call it, side can be improved.

But also vice versa. There are a lot of times where players don't give you much space to approach them because during the tournament everyone is in their zone and they don't want to be disturbed.

So, everyone respects that and I, out of all these guys, I know that the most and I understand that. But at the same time, as I said, it goes both ways.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297