THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 7, 2021

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/M. Fucsovics

6-3, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I didn't necessarily mean this to be the first question because it's not about today's match or even the next one. It's more of an overview. What has it been like to be something of the 'bad guy' chasing after Roger and Rafa all these years?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't consider myself a bad guy. I mean, that's your opinion.

I'm not chasing anybody. I'm making my own path and my own journey, my own history. I'm privileged to be part of history of this sport that I love. As I said on the court, I know about a lot of stats. I don't know about all of them. But they do motivate me even more to play my best tennis at the events that count the most in our sport.

Q. I noticed beneath where we were sitting, opposite the Royal Box end, the end of the first set, you were flexing your shoulders a bit. Was that discomfort or was it the wind?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, no, no discomfort, physical discomfort. I feel great. Obviously a few times I slipped today. Yeah, obviously anything is possible on the court when it comes to hurting or not hurting yourself. Thankfully I didn't hurt myself to the extent where I would cause a hindrance to my game and my performance.

It was very windy, one of the most I think windiest days I feel like I ever had here personally in Wimbledon. I don't recall it being so windy. Particularly last couple days, it hasn't calmed down, the wind.

But you have to adapt to it. It's same for both players.

Q. I don't think you're a bad guy either. What do you think of the next match against Denis Shapovalov and his development into being a solid top-10 player after making a big impact early in his career with his flashiness?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I think he's going to answer that question better, what affected positively his game and his performance so he goes very deep in the tournament. He has been consistent with success on the tour in the last couple of years, top 20, top 15 in the world, although people did expect him to probably going to top 10 or maybe top 5 and be one of the leaders of the next gen, which he is.

Maybe big matches, he was not winning those in the last couple of years. It seems like he's maturing, which is also something that is normal, it's logical. You would expect that from a player like him that has really an all-around game. Huge serve, lefty, which is always tricky to play someone who is left-handed on the quick surfaces.

He's comfortable coming in to net. I think his movement has improved. Due to better movement, he's probably making less errors, which was probably the part of his game that was always troubling him.

We played a tight two-set this year in ATP Cup, which was the first opening official match for him and I of the season. The courts at Australian Open are pretty quick this year so I could get a little bit of an understanding of how well he's serving, if he's serving well, you know, how difficult it is to play against him.

You don't get too many opportunities on his service game, especially here on grass. I've seen hum play against Murray. He's really feeling great. I mean, it's impressive the way he's been playing. Probably the ball gets to him on grass, it doesn't bounce as much, so he can swing through the ball. I think backhand was also working really well what I saw today in some important moments.

Yeah, I mean, I'm sure that that's going to be the biggest test I will have so far in the tournament, which is also expected. It's semifinals. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a battle and I need to be at my best.

Q. You had that flying start today, leading 5-Love in the first set, then he won three games in a row. It was the only blip in the match almost. Was there something in particular that you struggled with at that point? When it comes to the wind and the windy conditions, what's the biggest challenge in playing in those conditions on grass? Anything in particular that you need to do to adjust?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it's the rhythm, it's the tempo of your groundstrokes, the toss for the serve. Obviously everything is disrupted in a way in terms of how you've been probably warming up and feeling on the different court the same day. Once you step out on the Centre Court, it's obviously a different feeling. But I felt like last couple matches, it has been pretty windy, particularly today.

So I think it's both mental and also biomechanical challenge on the court, because sometimes if you are not feeling comfortable to go for your shots, you're a bit tight, your legs stop moving. If the legs stop moving on a windy day like this, you're going to be in a lot of trouble. You have to pray to serve well (smiling).

So, yeah, it was kind of up and down. I thought I played extremely well the first five, six games. Had a couple set points, 5-Love, 5-1 also couple set points. And then some long games.

Overall, I feel like I've been playing, hitting the ball well throughout the entire tournament, putting myself exactly where I want to be: semifinals. Not spending too much energy. Now I really have to be consistent from the first to last point in next match, and hopefully another one on Sunday.

Q. You mentioned that you have managed to conserve some energy. You've only dropped one set on the way to this stage. Would you have preferred to have had a longer match at some point along the way just to give you a test on that front, or are you happy it's been mostly three-set victories?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm pleased that it was as it was. I don't really regret for not playing longer on the court. I said that I had enough match play. Obviously different surface in Roland Garros, but a lot of different match play in the last couple of months that put me in the right frame of mind I think for what's coming up. I had enough training on grass.

I'm pleased with the way I've been feeling and hitting the ball, as I said. I'm confident. I don't need any extra time on the court, to be honest. Actually, in contrary, I want to stay as less as possible and conserve energy for the most important matches.