US OPEN

September 2, 2020

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/K. Edmund

6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. In a couple of weeks Andy showed he can beat a top 10 like Zverev. I would like to ask you if you saw yesterday's match, and how did you feel about Murray's comeback?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I saw little bit of his match. I was not surprised with his fighting spirit and way he came back to win it because he has done it more than few times in his career.

He's truly a champion. He has a big heart. He's a real fighter, a great example of someone who leaves it all on the court. Being very determined, especially after everything he has been through in the last five years with his hip surgeries, a year and a half ago in Australia probably saying good-bye to tennis, then coming back, winning last week against Zverev, who is a top-10 player, winning a tournament in Belgium last year. I mean, it's really impressive.

I truly, truly hope that he can stay healthy and that he can go on for a long time like this.

Q. Speaking of great fighting spirit, you go out there today, you played last week at the Western & Southern, it's a hot day, really humid, you've got a pretty tough guy, first-set tiebreaker. What do you find in a situation like that, the discipline and desire to go on and come back and win that match?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I think the mindset approaching Grand Slams is different from any other tournament. For me, I actually like my chances the longer the match goes, especially with someone like Kyle that spends a lot of energy.

He's playing some powerful tennis, serve and forehand, but doesn't move that well for a long time. I knew that eventually physically he's going to drop his level a bit. That's when I stepped it up. I held my nerves and stayed consistent.

Credit to him for winning the first set. He deserved it. He was playing really well. Wasn't easy for me. I mean, he was hitting his spots with serve, high percentage of first serves, forehand, backhand, protecting the line.

In the second set things started to change a little bit, started to feel more comfortable, started to read his serve better. I thought I was serving better than I did in the first round.

There were some ups and downs throughout the match, but it was over three hours, a tough opponent, a tough test. I mean, this is something that can happen obviously, you drop a set.

I'm actually glad I did drop a set and got tested the way I did today against Kyle. I expected it to be a tough, tough task.

I'm really glad having an early kind of tough match in the tournament, because it kind of serves me better I think for the rest of the tournament.

Q. Maybe the only men's player who rented a house. How is that working out? Do you feel you have an extra edge than the other players who are in the hotel?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I am really grateful that I have an opportunity to stay in the house. As soon as there was a chance for us to choose to be in a house, we took it right away without thinking. I'm glad we did.

Any player had that opportunity. It's not the privilege of the top guys or girls. Anyone that wanted to spend money and stay in the house, he or she could have done that. I know there's very few players that have chosen to stay in a house, but it is a personal choice.

Q. Why was that so important to you instead of being in the hotel?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I think it's obvious. Being in a hotel, you're unable to open the window in the room. You constantly have to be with a mask indoors, outdoors, everywhere. You can't really go out, spend time in the garden maybe outdoors.

I saw the hotel. The hotel is not in a best position in terms of having nature around. It's very close to the highway.

Look, USTA did what they could do. Of course, they made sure they take the entire hotel for the players. Most of them are staying there. But I never spent a second thinking that I can stay in a hotel when I heard that I can have a chance to stay in a house. I took it right away.

Q. Two matches down now, into the third round. Overall how comfortable are you feeling? Sure, you had the benefit of playing on these same courts last week with the Cincinnati Masters. If you had to adjust anything, any aspect that you're not totally satisfied with, what would it be?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I thought there's a lot of positives in the last couple weeks. Had plenty of match play on the court. I competed great, especially in the last couple of matches during the Cincinnati tournament. Those were very important wins I think mentally for me coming into US Open.

I don't feel tired. I don't feel like energy or recovery is going to be an issue or is an issue for me. In contrary, I actually feel very fit. I love playing best-of-five. I like my chances best-of-five on the center court of US Open against anybody in the world.

Being experienced player and playing on a big stage for so many times, obviously part of the tour for 15 years, helps in these kind of particular situations.

I'm just going to do what I know works best for me and hope for the best.

Q. You made a comment the other day, you said, It's been challenging mentally and emotionally to stay sane. Can you express what you were thinking at that point.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, obviously players association, even though I've mentioned it's not a new idea, it's not a new project, it's been there for 20-plus years. Many different generations of players tried to accomplish, make that final step, actually legally and concretely starting a players association. So we are just following up on what the previous generations have attempted to do.

But at the same time it has been treated, I mean, in the last week or so, as something that is new, that is disturbing to the ecosystem of tennis, at least from the statements of ATP and the rest of the governing bodies in the sport.

It's not easy for me obviously dealing with all that in the midst of the tournament. It was Cincinnati just before semifinals when it all started. Of course, it's kind of fading away a little bit, but it's still out there.

A lot of people are talking about it. Of course, it is a great conversation happening off the court. Whether that's going to live or not, we are progressing.

We have highest of intentions for players. I mean, this is only thing we have. We don't want to fight anyone. We don't want to fight for existence with ATP, ITF, or any other governing body. I think there is a place for players association. There always has been a place for players association.

It's just that right now obviously there are people that just don't want that to happen because there's a certain structural system in place that has been protecting them. I understand that. That's fine.

I am representing, first and foremost, the players' rights. This is going to give them a platform for a stronger voice, which I think is very important. This is kind of expected, as well, because we are one of the few global sports that doesn't have a players association like the other global sports do.

We are very pleased. We are very motivated to do our best. We are happy that there is every single day more players, more and more players signing in.

The next step after the US Open is creating a structure legally, of course, the bylaws and everything to follow. It's a big project. It's a long-term project, as well. But we're taking it slow. We're happy that we are here.

Q. It is a momentous moment in men's tennis history. Talk about Roger and Rafa. They are obviously such important figures. Vasek was saying that there hadn't been conversations ahead of time, but they did, of course, send out that letter. What are your thoughts about their position? Will you be reaching out to them or have you spoken to them already?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I have reached out to them. We have spoken about this project several times in the past actually. I have reached out to them before we made it official, before we gathered with all the players on the Grandstand, I think it was last Saturday. They were very much aware of what is going to happen.

I respect, of course, completely their choice that they don't want to be involved in it at the moment. They don't think it's the right time. That's fine. That's their opinion. I disagree with that. I think it's kind of never a right time and it's always a right time, right?

For a players association, it's always the right time, and it has been the right time for the last 20 years. Somehow it was never really accomplished, never really realized. Right now it is. We are moving forward.

Q. What effect does the absence of Federer and Nadal have on the tournament and on you?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: On me, zero. On the tournament, definitely big, big effect because they're obviously legends of the sport. They are greatly missed. Other than them and maybe Stan, everyone is here. It's still a very strong field.

Q. 25 wins, but you lost the first tiebreaker in the year after 10-1. Were you shocked a little bit to lose that tiebreaker or not? I can tell you that I was shocked by your big roar, the roar that you made when you made a break in the fourth set. You woke up my wife who was sleeping with this incredible, huge roar.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm sorry that I woke your wife up (laughter). I hope she'll forgive me. I had to bring some energy on the court. I mean, this is how I play. I try to bring in the intensity in these very strange conditions and circumstances where you're playing in front of the empty stadium.

At the same time, also something that is quite new for us is that all the suites that you have, both floors are filled with players, top players, both male and female. They're watching you, right? They're there. You can sense that there is also that kind of additional pressure to perform well in front of them.

So, yeah, it was a great point that I thought I hustled very well. I just felt that I should kind of scream and roar. That's what I did.

The tiebreak? Look, I don't think I played a fantastic tiebreak, but I think Kyle did well. He deserved to win that tiebreak in the first set. I think he was just a very solid player, probably a better player in the first set.

Yeah, I mean, having a very good tiebreak record this year, but also in the last probably five years, it's a huge confidence booster coming into any tiebreak on a big stage. Hopefully next one I will feel as well as I did coming into this tiebreak or any other previously.