WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 24, 2020

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/R. Berankis

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First, can you tell us a little bit about your neck injury and how severe it is?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it's getting better. It's been now four days, but it has been moving in the right direction. Obviously it's not yet where I would like it to be, but it's heading in that direction.

Hopefully it will not react with, I guess, big inflammation after tonight's match. I don't know how it's going to react. Hopefully not that bad. We're going to do everything possible with physiotherapists, and then let's see what tomorrow brings.

Q. When the tour stopped, the three of you with Roger and Rafa were engaged in this magnificent battle for the GOAT title and everything. Nobody anticipated what would happen subsequently obviously this entire layoff. Has this changed your thinking about that or your priority you put on that?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You have to repeat the question, because I didn't really understand. Can you please repeat?

Q. Yes. When the tour ended because of COVID, you, Roger, Rafa, were involved in this fight for the greatest of all time, and it was an ongoing story everybody talked about. Now it's been silent for a few months. Things have changed. Has it shaped your thinking at all about this contest between the three of you? Have you thought differently about this great race to GOAT-hood?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I mean, obviously what happened in the last six months, I mean, I don't think many people could really predict. Obviously we were all focused on different things I think in our life, obviously family concerns, health concerns, making sure everybody's healthy and safe.

Tennis obviously was on hold, like anything else, and I think we were actually one of the last global sports that has found a way to restart the season.

So I was involved. I was involved a lot with tennis player council and trying to be available and trying to figure out what is the best strategy moving forward, obviously with ATP, with slams, federations and so forth.

So there was a lot going on. Even though we have not played the six months, it's definitely a very challenging process for everyone.

But the race, you know, for, I guess, most slams or anything like that is still there. I mean, obviously I don't think it's ever going to go away. I mean, the discussion is always there, and it hasn't -- I mean, obviously things have changed from the standpoint of the way we are competing, the way, you know, we are restarting the season, no crowd in the stands, wearing masks all over the place.

You know, obviously we are all trying to adjust to these circumstances that are really, really challenging for everyone and on every level.

But from the perspective of, you know, Roger, Rafa, myself and our race, I mean, it hasn't changed much. I mean, it's only six months that has passed. Obviously we are here in New York and a week away from a Grand Slam. Those two guys are not here, obviously, but that doesn't change my approach.

You know, I still want to do well, and I'm treating obviously Grand Slam is a Grand Slam, even though it's played in completely different conditions.

Q. With everything that's gone on this season with COVID, with the hiatus, and now that you're restarting the season, albeit with no fans, is it challenging or difficult just to be able to go out on the court at each match and focus on, you know, the fundamentals of playing tennis and to get enjoyment out of it and to try and put everything aside for a few hours while you're out there?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It is a challenge, but I think this is what we all have to accept and embrace, as difficult or strange as it feels and looks to all of us being here in the bubble without a crowd and, you know, as I said, being in the circumstances that are quite different and unusual from what we are used to, but hopefully it's only a temporary thing.

I mean, I can only speak on my own behalf. You know, of course it is strange. After a good point, you don't really have clapping or you don't get that energy from the crowd, that exchange that you're used to, but in the other hand, I didn't feel that it was so tough for me to focus on the court.

You know, I mean, I knew coming into this match what I'm going to face, also the quality of the opponent, of course, but just no crowd and so forth, so that's why I came over to States a week earlier and try to practice and get ready.

Look, US Open is, you know, is around the corner. We all want to try to get as many matches here in the Western & Southern Open. Obviously it's a huge tournament. A good, positive thing, it's played on the same courts like the US Open obviously without the two big courts involved.

But as I said, you know, only thing you can do is really accept it and embrace it and try to take the best out of it. You know, I mean, of course I think we all are going to be challenged mentally, emotionally. I think we all go through a different thought process, and when you experience something new, of course your old self or your old habits are kind of, you know, fighting and resisting a little bit, you know.

But I'm trying to be open-minded and, as I said, accept, because this is the only thing I can do right now.

Q. You were just commenting about the neck. Did it bother you during the match today? Also, how do you feel playing your first official match after so long this evening?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it has bothered me. I mean, obviously, I don't know if you watched the match, but I made so many double faults, and he knew exactly where I'm going to serve. There was not many options for me because just the awkward situation I was in.

But I managed somehow with the great help of Clay, ATP physiotherapist, who did his best to make sure I feel better. Look, it is what it is. I mean, I tried to take one game at a time. He was striking the ball really well. He was playing super fast.

Courts are quick. I mean, I don't know what happened, whether they resurfaced it, repainted it in such a way that it's at least 20, 30% quicker than last year's.

Also, the center court, obviously the center court on Armstrong is slower than the outside courts, but it's really, really quick. So I have to say it's a little bit surprising, because most of my training sessions I also had on like the Ashe Stadium and big courts. I had one training session on Grandstand during the day. So obviously it took a little bit of time to really find the timing and the striking zone.

It felt great to be back competing. You know, six months, this is what all of us, we have been waiting for. Of course it's not ideal in terms of conditions and what we have to face, but we are back. You know, tennis is back. I think when you draw a line, it's very positive thing, considering we're a global sport.

I think for us, comparing ourselves to maybe Champions League or European football or American football or NBA, NHL, whatever, golf, it's really challenging, because we have to travel, you know, every single week literally from one place, from one country to different country, not even to same city or maybe different continent. So many different things you have to make sure are guaranteed for players to have, for example, exemptions and going back to Europe with no quarantine, et cetera, et cetera. Hundreds of different details.

It's a whole different game, I mean, for all of us. And these kind of circumstances are really challenging on so many levels for so many different people, governing bodies and players and coaches and so forth.

But I think as we go along, we will figure it out. Hopefully we can play out Cincinnati tournament and New York and we all go home happy.

Q. Most important, on a scale of 1 to 10, how do you grade the haircut?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You tell me. But I think this is definitely one of the best haircuts I have ever had from a nonprofessional hairdresser.

Q. More serious note, you said something pretty profound the other day. You said this is a huge transformational phase for all of us on this planet, and I think it could even be a wakeup call.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah.

Q. Tough question, but just take that a little bit further, transformational moment, wakeup call, talk about that.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Look, I know this is going to maybe sound like a phrase or a cliché, but I truly try to be most of the time in my life optimistic and positive and live consciously of, you know, whatever curveballs life throws at you as you try to understand what kind of message or signal or symbol is behind that, you know, what is it that is happening is affecting your own growth and how is it that it's going to affect your life.

I think whatever is happening right now in the world is, for super majority of the people on this planet, you can't really influence that but you can influence your reaction to that.

So it's kind of the mindset that I try to nurture and develop every day. And I think on a brighter side, this whole virus situation the last six months brought us closer to our families. It made us tennis players slow down, because we live such a fast-paced life, constantly on the road, traveling, living in a suitcase, and really not addressing anything else but the tennis life so much, you know, because it's so demanding. It's the longest season of all sports, 11 months a year.

So it was very unusual but I think very needed. At least I can speak for myself obviously here. I can't speak on behalf of the other players.

But I felt that this period was very needed, and it made me reflect on my life. It made me understand that some greater things than myself, like, you know, the health of and well-being of not just human beings but the planet itself. I mean, the great thing about six months of people not really commuting so much is that the planet is cleaning, and we are polluting it so much, so that's a great thing.

Obviously there are a lot of negatives, as well, a lot of sadness. But as you mentioned, transformational period, yes, absolutely, because I don't know -- things can never be the same, not from a point of view of tennis or tournaments or whatever. I think even if we talk about the tennis season and everything, I think even that has to be rearranged.

I hear a lot of people from the other governing bodies in sport talking about maybe just like really taking the calendar and understanding what can be done so we could prevent maybe, I don't know, big holes in the calendar in the future or just how to make it better.

It brings everybody closer to each other, and we all try to be united and work together towards a greater goal, in tennis but also in private life.

Q. Was there one special moment during the shutdown that was really special for you that you could share with us?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, absolutely. I mean, every day spending with my children and wife and brothers and parents was just a blessing. I mean, I have not seen my parents, you know, my brothers, as much as I have seen them, I mean, in the last 15 years as much as I have seen them in the last 15 months, of course including my kids and my wife.

I mean, it was so nice to be able to spend quality time with them and read bedtime stories, you know, swim, play sports, dine, talk about life, see them grow up every day.

I mean, it really touched me. I was very grateful to have this period, because, as I said before, you know, we live such a fast-paced life, and it's really hard for us to say to ourselves, Okay, we need to slow down.

I mean, at least it's very hard for me. I don't know, you know, I haven't had too many times in my career, 15-year professional career where I said, Okay, I'm going to take some time off or just maybe decrease the amount of tournaments I play on the schedule. It's actually the contrary.

I was playing and playing and playing, and I guess something like this needs to happen in order for all of us to really, okay, just take a deep breath and see what is most important in life.

Because if you ask majority of people like what really matters, it's health, it's family, right? But how many of us really live that kind of life? How many of us really prioritize that? Not many.

So I think, yeah, from the brighter side, that was really nice.