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ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

November 3, 2019

Novak Djokovic

Paris, France

N. DJOKOVIC/D. Shapovalov

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. From outside, Djokovic won, logical, too good. From inside, it wasn't that straightforward. Can you just dwell a little bit on how tough it was for you to get back into this tournament and what it means to win it?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Okay. I thought it was a great serving performance from both Denis and me. It was very difficult to read his serve. He was serving really well on the other side.

I think I had the best serving match of the tournament, and that's why the match was pretty short, you know, just over an hour for two sets.

For 6-3, 6-4, that's a result that doesn't separate the two players too much. I mean, it's only one break in each set. That was enough to win the match.

But I started off very well, very solid. And second set I was just waiting for him to drop his percentage of first serves in, a little bit, maybe give him a different look, position myself differently. It worked. I put him under pressure for the second serve and from the back of the court I was solid and not giving him too many opportunities.

And just one of the best matches I have played, definitely, this week. And I feel like the second part of the week was terrific. It was improving day by day for me in terms of level of tennis.

And I couldn't be happier with this win.

Q. I think you won ten points, something like that on your serve. Do you feel like Ivo Karlovic when your opponent can't return your serve like today?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: On the rare occasions like today, I do feel like Karlovic. It's quite frustrating to play against a player like Ivo Karlovic, a player that serves very well.

But it feels great when you actually can get out of your serve a lot of free points. And that was the case for me, not just today, but throughout this week. I haven't dropped a set.

Serve was one of the definitely best shot in my game and that allowed me to kind of also feel more comfortable and more confident from baseline.

Q. Congrats on your fifth title here. I'm not sure if you know, but with your title here today you've surpassed both Roger and Rafa on your big title wins. When your career is all said and done, what single record would you like to hold the most of?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's hard to pick one. I think I would like to play tennis for a long time. So I don't know how long that is going to be, but I wish to really play pretty long.

So hopefully you'll be seeing me around for many more years.

Q. You said that you want to play long time, but today you play an opponent which is 12 years younger than you.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes. Don't tell me, please. (Smiling.)

Q. When do you think that the new generation will be able to win, not a slam, but Masters 1000, something like that? Because the difference is still a big difference.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I mean, depends on from which perspective you're seeing things. I don't think there's any big difference in terms of the game.

I mean, NextGen guys have won, you know, Masters 1000 like -- you know, okay, Zverev some years ago. And so it has happened and it's going to happen more.

I mean, we are -- when I say "we," I mean especially the three guys who are trying to postpone that for as long as possible.

But the new generation is already there. And, you know, guys like Medvedev and Khachanov and Rublev, the Russians, and Tsitsipas and Zverev and Thiem, and you know, Denis, Felix, this generation, it has already established themselves in the first top 20 of the world.

And now these guys are starting to believe, more and more, that they can actually fight for the biggest trophies with the other guys. So I think it's a matter of time, it's a matter of when things come together in terms of experience, in terms of a good given day, I guess, as well.

How consistent someone can be from the younger guys, doing that whole year and every year, that's a question mark. Obviously that's a whole different level. You know, if you have a great week, you can win, you can even win a slam, but then can you really do it consistently throughout your career, year after year. That's probably where very, very few players are able to do that.

And for that, it takes, you know, I guess, a bigger, a more complete package in terms of player and person and dedication and all these different things.

Q. Your 34th Masters. Is it different from the first or so many Masters 1000? So what is the difference between 25th and the 34th?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it is different. I mean, the first one is first one, you know, of course.

But I try not to take this kind of big victories -- because this is one the biggest tournaments we have in the world of tennis -- I don't try to take them for granted like it's something normal or usual or common.

You know, I've been blessed to win so many big titles in my life. And that's one of the biggest reasons, actually, why I'm still playing professional tennis, to fight for these big trophies and to still be able to play on the highest level.

Obviously I love tennis. I love playing the sport. But at the same time, being part of the tour and being professional and fighting for No. 1 in the world and Grand Slams and biggest Masters events, that alters your life. You have to adapt your lifestyle to this completely in order to have a chance to win these big trophies.

And so far I've been very blessed and privileged, to be honest, to have the support of my family and closest people in my life. Because things have to be on balance, on and off the court, for me to perform my best, especially now when I'm a father and things have changed in terms of priorities, in terms of who matters the most.

And so I'm trying to remind myself of how precious these moments are and these trophies when I find myself in different life circumstances.

Q. You will lose the No. 1 tomorrow but after this title you have a better chance to get it back in London and Rafa being injured. So how do you see that?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, first of all, I'm sad to see that he's injured because that's not what you want to see, not for Rafa, not for any other athlete. I know how that feels. Obviously I went through major injuries in my life as well.

Historically, he's had more than several times injuries at the last part of the season. So I hope he can recover and compete in London. Because with or without him, obviously, also the battle for No. 1 but also the tournament itself is different.

He's a great champion and obviously lots of respect for him.

Of course, in terms of points, that puts me in a better position after this week. But, again, I have to keep on winning. There's always a chance that I win all my matches in London, that I play well. I have done it in the past, and I like playing there. But it's extremely difficult task considering who my opponents are going to be. You know, you're playing top 10 player every single match.

So that's a big task on my end that I have to focus on. And as a consequence, of course, if I manage to get the year-end No. 1, that would be, of course, fantastic.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. There's going to be the Masters. After the Masters, you are going to be No. 1 worldwide. We don't know if Rafa is going to be here because he's injured. If you finish No. 1 worldwide, it's impossible the sixth time and you will beat Pete Sampras. You will be higher up in the world records. How does it feel to finish No. 1 at the end of the year?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It is a motivation and a goal every day. It is a goal that I have as a professional tennis player to win as many Grand Slams as possible and also to be No. 1 worldwide for as long as possible.

But it's not possible for me now to assume anything. It is not a reality. I have to wait and see what happens in London, to see if I can reach that goal.

As I said, it wouldn't be correct to presume with regard to Nadal and the others. I don't feel well talking about that right now.

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