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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 24, 2020

Novak Djokovic

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

N. DJOKOVIC/M. Jaziri

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Looked like a comfortable way to get into the tournament.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, it's a great way to start out the tournament. As I've said in the press conference prior to the tournament, I miss playing here. I really enjoy it. I enjoy night sessions.

There's a lot of people for an opening day of the tournament. It's a working day so I want to thank everyone coming out. It was a great atmosphere.

One-hour match, I think I've done everything as well as I imagined it to be for the first match. Of course, there's things that always can be improved, things that can be better. But I have to be satisfied with the performance.

Q. When you come to a tournament, initially one of your biggest rivals was going to be here, does that change anything for you that Roger is not here?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, look, not in particular. I mean of course Roger is such an important person and player and brand for our sport. Of course you don't want to see him missing one tournament, two tournaments. Now he's going to be out till the grass season as I hear. That's a blow for our sport and for this tournament in particular where he's defending champion, he has won many times.

But it doesn't change much in terms of my approach. If he would have been here in the draw, we would possibly meet only in the final. You got to win four matches. You got to build your game. You got to win against all these guys that are playing on a high level. There's some top players always from top 10, top 15, four, five players are playing each year. It makes this tournament a great challenge for me or for anybody else.

Q. You were asked after the match about your perfect start to the season. You said it was down to practice. Give us a bit of an insight. Have you done anything differently in the off-season?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, look, I adjust every single season, every single year to the changes that I experience as a person and as a player. I don't believe in such thing as stagnation or comfort zone. I don't think that the comfort zone exists really. You're constantly challenged on every level I think every single day.

I am continuously trying with my team to come up with different ways of training, approaching things like recovery or mental training, emotional training. I think a combination of all these different elements gives you the formula for success.

Obviously hasn't worked always perfectly, but I understand and I accept that I'm flawed as everybody else. I think being conscious of that, trying to work on yourself, which the internal work is the biggest work you possibly could do.

Of course, I still spend a lot of time on the court, in the gym. You have to. There's certain things you have to do obviously physically, but you can do a lot of things mentally, emotionally, which allow you to be in that flow state, allow you to be in your peak performance every single match.

As I said that's not a guarantee that it's going to work everywhere you go. But throughout my career I've been fortunate to have success rate quite high.

Q. Last year Roger won his hundredth ATP Tour event here. Jimmy Connors has the record. You're at 78. You spoke about the world No. 1 being important. Do you keep an eye on titles won? Is that a goal?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Of course I'm aware of that. That's not one of the highest goals to be honest. I've mentioned it: the highest goal for this particular season is the No. 1, Olympics and Grand Slams. I think every next season that I play - hopefully I still want to play and still like to compete - Grand Slams will be right up there.

So titles won will come I guess hopefully as a consequence of high performance and winning tournaments.

Q. Your thoughts about playing Philipp Kohlschreiber yet again.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I lost to him in straight sets in Indian Wells last year. I am aware of what he's capable of. He likes actually playing top players on a big stage. He has lots of experience. He's very fit. He keeps on playing even at that age on a high level. I certainly will not underestimate him.

As I said before our last meeting I lost to him in straight sets on the hard courts. I will prepare myself. I'm feeling good on the court. Tonight was another testament to the way I feel. Confidence, obviously striking the ball well. Hopefully that can continue in the next match.

Q. I remember you were emotional the first time your son was in the stands watching.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah.

Q. Now that he's growing, what has this process been like for you? What are you trying to tell them about what you do?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: He's slowly starting to understand. Tara is still too little. She's only two. Stefan is now five, five and a half. He understands a little bit more why I'm absent from home. That's obviously very difficult part for a father who is a professional tennis player. You travel a lot. They don't travel much with me. Just certain tournaments throughout the year.

I'm thrilled obviously when I'm able to have him on the stands on rare occasions. Also their attention span is not really high. I was really surprised. Wasn't a long match, but for most of the match he was there watching. He was quiet. He has the education of a tennis spectator.

He's also playing tennis. He likes playing tennis. But I'm not pushing or forcing anything really for him to play, to come, whatever. It happens naturally, spontaneously day by day. He has friends here. That's kind of a social outing for them watching a tennis match.

Q. Does he have a favorite player?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I have not asked him yet. He knows right now Rafa, Roger, Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem and Zverev. Those are the players he's familiar with. He hasn't been watching too much tennis except when I'm playing.

He hasn't really stated who his favorite player is. I don't know, I have a wild guess (smiling).

Q. Yesterday you played with Khachanov here. What is your impression? How far is he from his best form now?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I think Karen, he's very powerful player physically. Also he hits the ball hard, especially from the forehand corner. He hits his backhand very flat. He has a big serve.

With this kind of game I think he's always a contender to be top 10, top 15 of the world. He's been playing I think better quality tennis in the last I would say four, five months than maybe last season. He had some ups and downs. I remember he was testing racquets after he won against me in the finals of Paris Bercy. Had his best finish of the year, best season.

Because he's still young, he's figuring out how to be best version of himself throughout the entire year. It's a big task. Rankings are much more difficult nowadays to get to top 10, top 5 of the world. I'm sure that's his goal. He has the talent. He has the potential to achieve that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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