US OPEN

September 4, 2021

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/K. Nishikori

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

THE MODERATOR: If you could, just your thoughts on today's match.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It was a tough battle. So far the toughest match of the tournament for me. The opening two rounds obviously felt well, played good. But the pace of the ball and the speed of Nishikori's tennis today was just higher than the opening two rounds' opponents that I had.

He was standing close to the line. He was not missing much. Usually he plays a high-risk tennis. I know his game pretty well. We played many, many times over the years.

But I thought he played great. He didn't give me much time. He wanted to make me uncomfortable and defensive, and he managed to do that I felt like for maybe a set, set and a half.

Once I adapted to the pace of his ball, I felt better on the court. I felt like I'm starting to gain the momentum and control of the match. Served well when I needed to. When I was up, I just kept pushing and kept applying pressure on his service games.

All in all I thought it was a high level of tennis. Good quality tennis from both of us. Had to work for this victory, and I'm glad. It feels satisfying to go out from the court with a win against a player who is playing in really great form today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You seemed as the match wore on, you had both a heightened level of intensity, bringing your game up to another level, but also a heightened playfulness with the crowd. How are you able to balance those things?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, depends on the moment. We all try to bring the intensity on the court because the end of the day that's why people come to see you. They want to see good tennis. They want to see you involved in the match. They want to see you bring the energy.

Arthur Ashe is the place where you bring the energy, that's for sure, where you feel this kind of electric atmosphere, particularly in the matches like this where it's decided in a few points.

Yeah, the crowd was involved. It was loud. It was nice. I thrived on that. So, yeah.

Q. Amid all the focus on your records and the ones you're pursuing, what do you most want people to see in you beyond the numbers?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: That's a question that is a good question, but I don't think we have enough time. I like to get philosophical in these kind of answers (smiling).

I would like people, particularly my peers, the fellow tennis players, both men's and women's side, to remember me as someone that first of all left his heart out on the court and has inspired maybe players to get better and to improve and to believe in themselves more.

I'm very passionate about children and early childhood education. My foundation is really focused on that last 15 years. That's something I would like to be remembered for, of course.

Also someone that really tries to live up to the true values of life: respecting and being grateful, appreciating the moment, appreciating the fact that I'm playing the sport that I truly love and I'm very successful in. Not many probably people around the world could say that maybe they are the best in the world in what they love to do.

I try to not take anything for granted. Sometimes it's difficult to take a step back and observe things from a different perspective once you're in the, so to say, game. You're touring, you're traveling nonstop, what's the next challenge, what's the next tournament you have to win, what's the next goal to achieve.

It's really hard to comprehend sometimes life from a bird's eye perspective from me in terms of tennis, because I'm so involved right now on the court and there are so many things I want to achieve still on the court.

All in all, I would love to leave the legacy first of all that is a good human being, someone that people respect as a person, that has good character, and of course then after a tennis player. For me those things are more important than results.

You can't have everyone liking you. Everyone has their own preference. But I don't know exactly what the question was referring to, on and off the court or combining. But, yeah, this is how I see it.

Q. We did see more emotion from you today. I'm wondering how for you does that connect with how you're playing, and maybe which comes first?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I don't plan to have those kind of emotional moments on the court whether good or bad. It just happens. In the heat of the battle, when you feel like the moment is very important, and you just want to get those things out of yourself, out of your system, try to I guess ride on that energy wave that you create, whether it's with yourself, whether it's with the crowd, just really depends.

So just depends on the moment.

Q. You visited Forest Hills a couple days ago. Can you tell us more about that visit. What did you do? Did you have lunch there?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I went to shoot something for one of my sponsors. I was very glad that they picked Forest Hills Tennis Club as a location. After I was done with my commitment I walked around. I was really happy to see the history of the club that hosted the US Open for many years. I think it was up to '82, '83, something around that, when it moved to Flushing Meadows.

The center court is stunning. They use it now for concerts and different events. I was amazed with the amount of courts, 37 or 40 courts with three, four different surfaces. Great, great. Members club, it was nice. A lot of people out there playing. They have like the All England Club white uniform-only rule to be on the court, which was nice when you're playing on the grass court.

Yeah, I respect history of this sport very, very much. For me it was a thrilling experience.

Q. In life sometimes things come true when you don't expect it and vice versa. In your quest for the slam, what Grand Slam did you achieve or major victory that most surprised you? Is there one that you thought you should have won that you did not?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I would not be honest fully if I told you I don't think or I don't believe or I don't visualize that I can win every single Grand Slam that I play in. I'm not surprised when I win slams and big tournaments because that's always a goal. It's very clear image in my head and I try to do everything I can to get my hands on the Grand Slam trophy.

I've been fortunate to really have a lot of success in the Grand Slam, 20 wins, but also a lot of finals and semifinals. I've been consistent on all slams really. It's tough to pick one which is probably my favorite. When I was a child growing up in Serbia, Wimbledon was always the dream tournament that inspired me to take a tennis racquet in my hands.

But probably the greatest Grand Slam career satisfaction I had is when I won four in a row back in 2016 when I crowned it with the first Roland Garros trophy. Even though I grew up playing on clay, I feel like Roland Garros has always been probably the Mount Everest for me. Out of all four slams, that's the toughest for me to win.

Both 2016 and this year's win on French Open feel kind of similar. I felt if I win Roland Garros in that year, I have a good chance to maybe do it all in four same year, calendar slam. After I won in Paris this year, I felt like, okay, I like my chances on grass, I won two Wimbledons in a row, approaching Wimbledon I feel like I've improved over the years on grass. It did not seem impossible anymore to go for all four in a row in the same year.

So here I am. I'm in a good position to do that. Still in the tournament. But I've got to take one match at a time.