ROLAND GARROS

October 5, 2020

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/K. Khachanov

6-4, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. When you came on early in the tour your first few years, you seemed to try very hard to fit in, you were going to be a good guy, along with Roger and Rafa. In the past couple years you seem to have carved out kind of a sharper edge, an individual identity. Is that an accurate perception? If so, how has it affected your career and the way you're playing?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I am not entirely sure if I understood your perception of how you perceive me. But one of the things in life that I strongly believe in is that the only constant is the change. It's normal for me that I have changed my personality, my whatever, lifestyle or mindset, things like that. There are some things that you grow up with that, of course, you stick with, kind of your core values.

At the same time life is always challenging you and forcing you to adapt. So I've been quite open-minded in life to really receive whatever life throws at me and try to make the most out of it.

Look, I am not the one that likes to separate the professional and private life and say that I am completely different person on the tennis court and in private life. I think that's really hard to do. I mean, at least I don't believe in that kind of assessment.

I think you're always the same person, whether you're on the court, off the court, in your bed, wherever you are. So it's all a learning curve really. Of course, on the court you kind of put your professional face on and try to win a tennis match. It's serious stuff. Sometimes you have fun with it. Sometimes you get frustrated.

In the end of the day for me, court still represents probably the place where I am able to grow most my personality and my character.

Q. You've been a little busy today so you may not have heard. The bars, the clubs, and cafes are closing here tomorrow outside your bubble. Does that give you any greater pause as the final week gets underway here what's going on outside your bubble?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, it's not great news for sure. Obviously doesn't affect us too much because we are in the safe environment. I will not call it a 'bubble' because, as I explained last conference, I don't think it's a bubble. But it is a safe environment, controlled environment. We are obviously just operating in two locations between the hotel and tennis courts.

It's not great news. I mean, also I've been hearing London is coming close to a lockdown. Yeah, I mean, it's hard to see these things unfold again after six months. It's hard to believe that we're going to go through that again.

Yeah, I'm just hoping that people will be able to stay mentally sane because we have an opportunity to work and earn money, do what we love. But majority of the people doesn't have that opportunity. I mean, actually the driver here in Roland Garros that has been driving me and my team for last couple years, he said he had one day of work in the last seven months.

It puts things in perspective really, makes you more appreciative, I think more grateful that we actually have an opportunity to compete. I think because of good organization on the tournaments, and of course desire from the tournaments, we're able to go out on the court and compete, still play in front of limited amount of people. There's still crowd.

I don't think it can get much better than this considering the circumstances that we have in the world right now.

Q. After his defeat yesterday, Sascha Zverev came into his news conference and said he had a temperature of 38 degrees, also that he had problems breathing. He decided to play his match yesterday. Do you think players in that situation, given they are showing one symptom of COVID, should stay away from the site as I think the protocol suggests they should? Would you like to see temperature checks introduced by the French Federation for anybody coming on-site?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I actually just heard about what Sascha said in the press conference yesterday.

Let's wait for his result and let's see. I mean, obviously nowadays, because of what is happening in the world, people connect any kind of symptoms that has something to do with fever to COVID right away. I mean, it's kind of also expected.

We have to remember that COVID is not the only illness out there. There are many viruses and bacterias and so forth. It is also possibility that he picked up on something else.

I don't know. Really, honestly, I don't know how he feels, what is going on, whether they should have the temperature checks. I wouldn't mind. I mean, I don't have anything against that. Why not? If that allows I guess the medical team here in Roland Garros and organization to have a better idea of whether someone is having symptoms that could be related to this virus, then okay, fine.

It is what it is. I think as we go along, we are also trying to figure things out collectively in our sport. But I think also other areas, other fields of life. No one has it perfect because it's quite unpredictable.

Q. Obviously it was 100% an accident when the ball ricocheted off your racquet to the line judge. Was your heart in your mouth a little bit at the time?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: My gosh, it was very awkward déjà vu. I'm actually trying to find the lines person and see if he's okay because I saw he had a little bit of a bruise, like redness, in that place in the head where the ball hit him. I hope he's fine. I mean, he definitely dealt with it in a very strong and brave way. But it was a hit because I was very close.

Yeah, I mean, obviously because of what happened in New York, people I guess are going to make the story out of this.

It has happened to me and to many other players in the last 15 years that I've been on the tour. I've seen it a lot when the ball ricochets from the racquet and the frame, hits someone in the stands, or someone that is close to you or line umpire.

Yeah, it was a very awkward situation obviously.

Q. Obviously we don't know who you're going to be playing next. Can you look at or consider talking about both players quite separately. First if you could address playing Pablo, then if you could address playing Altmaier, who I'm sure you have not played before.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't know much about Altmaier, to be honest. I have not seen him play before this tournament. I've seen him play actually against Berrettini last round. It was very impressive tennis, impressive win.

He's got kind of the look and tennis that resembles Wawrinka a little bit, with one-handed backhand and heavy topspin. He's very dynamic player, really good pop on the serve. Just a great player on clay court.

Carreno Busta is someone that is obviously very solid. I think he actually improved his game in the last 12, 15 months on all the surfaces. I mean, playing semifinals in US Open proves it. I know he has done it before. He's climbing the rankings again.

He won slams or played finals in doubles, as well. Has very good hands, great return. Puts you under a lot of pressure. He moves very well. Obviously, as all the Spanish players, he grew up playing on clay, even though probably his game fits the hard court, kind of slower hard courts, the most. He's had some impressive wins lately, last round against Bautista, his good friend.

Look, maybe these kind of conditions also fit him nicely because the ball doesn't bounce too high, he plays quite flat from both corners. He actually likes slower surface. Similar to Bautista, he waits for the opponent's mistake, but he can also come in, step in, play backhand down the line. He's a very complete player.