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ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2019

Novak Djokovic

Paris, France

N. DJOKOVIC/H. Laaksonen

6-1, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. When you look at the success that you have had in Grand Slams in the past, as well as playing great tennis on winning matches, do you think there are any common themes or strands that have contributed to your success?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I think it's about the mindset, you know, where do you put your priorities? You know, what is the goal? What is the strategy, how you want to reach that goal? And especially at this phase of my career, it's Grand Slams, and try to play my best tennis in these tournaments that are historically the biggest events and the most important events in our sport.

So I have managed to have a really successful Grand Slam career so far. Of course I value all the other tournaments that I play on, and every time I step on the court, of course, I give myself a chance to win a tennis match.

But these are the tournaments where I aim to play my best, so probably that kind of mindset allowed me to shine always at the biggest events.

Q. Next round you're gonna face Caruso. You never played against him. What do you know about him? Have you ever trained with him?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, never trained. Don't know much about him, to be honest. It's really interesting, third match in a row that I get to play against someone that I have never faced before in a match. So that never happened, I think, in my career, and in a Grand Slam.

But that's good, because there is a shift of generations and new players coming up. Again, I'm going to have to do my homework, do analysis on him. You know, I watched him play a little bit today when I was waiting for my match. I saw he came from qualifications. He won what, now, five matches? So there is a lot of confidence. He has nothing to lose. I'm sure he's going to be very motivated to, you know, to play his best.

We are going to hopefully play on one of the big stadiums and have a great match.

Q. I might be doing this too soon, so forgive me. But you and Nadal against each other has been maybe the best ever in all of men's tennis. The amount, all the matches are close, it's incredible to look at. Can you just talk about that and why that's so impressive and no matter what happens here or in the rest of your career will always be something amazing?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Absolutely. Thank you. I mean, I take that as a compliment, because I'm really honored to be part of, you know, one of the greatest rivalries in sport.

We have faced each other I think most of any two players that faced each other in history. And it keeps going. I am the player I am today because of him, for sure, and because of the rivalries we had because of the fact that he was always making me improve, and I think it's also vice versa, it's other way around.

Our games are based on the baseline. We both are quite fit physically, and, you know, we are obviously very professional and we try to always improve on various strokes in the game and just the game in general.

I think because of the rivalry that we have, and because, you know, for the last ten years that I was very fortunate to be in top of the men's game, and for many years in top three of the world, he was always, you know, in those top three, as well, next to Roger.

So, you know, his results and everything he was doing, especially on this surface, kind of added more pressure on me that I have to keep up. I think it's other way around, as well. I think we have pulled each other so many times, you know, because of I think the rivalry that there is always new motivation, I think, inspiration to be better than your biggest rival. I think that's always the case. It always has been my case.

It's one of my biggest motivations is to, you know, to win against Rafa or Roger, you know, on the biggest events. That's as big of a challenge as it can get in tennis for me.

Q. What has pleased you most about your start to Roland Garros this year?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I think I served well. I used my forehand from different parts of the court really well. Solid backhand. Just two very solid matches.

I didn't drop the level too much. Maybe a few games in every -- the first two matches, I had maybe a little drop of concentration where I lost my serve, but other than that, very solid, as I played as much as I need to play to win in straight sets. Didn't spend too much time on the court. So all is going in the right direction.

Q. It's been three years since you last won this Grand Slam. Could you comment a bit on your feelings in comparison with that, 2016 and now after the first two matches?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's still early in the tournament, but, you know, I do have high ambitions for this tournament. As I said before, you know, Grand Slams are the tournaments where I want to play my best, and hopefully, you know, get a chance to fight for the title.

I have played finals on several different occasions in Paris, Roland Garros, and had that memorable title in 2016. Since then, you know, a lot has happened. I was absent from the tour six months. I had surgery of elbow and, you know, changed the racquet, and various transformations happen, so to say, in my career.

But I have gotten, I feel like, to a place where I was hoping I would get with my game. I worked very hard for it. I think everything started to really function well from Wimbledon last year. That was a huge springboard and confidence boost for what was coming up.

You know, winning slams is quite a different feeling from anything else, you know. It really puts your name in the history books of the sport, and it just serves as a huge confidence boost, you know, for any other tournament or the rest of the season.

So in tennis, we are fortunate to have, so to say, four world championships a year, every season, and they do take a lot of time and you spend, in the best-case scenario, almost three weeks for every tournament because of the training and everything.

But it's worth it. These are the biggest events. These are the events that attract a lot of attention from the sports world, generate a lot of attendance, and a lot of people come and support tennis players.

These events are bigger than any other tennis player, you know, that has played the game. That's why they have historically been so valuable.

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