THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 25, 2022

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Novak, how are your preparations going?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: So far so good. I didn't have any lead-up tournaments to Wimbledon, but I've had success in Wimbledon in the past without having any official matches and tournaments. I just had one exhibition match few days ago in Hurlingham.

Over the years, as I said, I had success with adapting quickly to the surface, so there is no reason not to believe that I can do it again.

Of course, I'm very pleased and happy to be back at the tournament that was always my childhood dream tournament, the one that I always wanted to win. So, of course, wonderful memories from last three editions of Wimbledon for me. Hopefully I can continue that run.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. If you win this title, you'll have the prestige, the check, but you won't have the ranking points. How does that affect your approach and mindset going into this tournament, given the circumstances?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it would probably affect more other players than myself, to be honest. I don't want to say the ranking points are not important for me. Of course, they are. But not as they were, you know, up to recently.

Now I'm not really chasing the ranking as much as I have, until I was breaking record for longest weeks at No. 1. Then after that it just wasn't as I think important in terms of priority for me.

Of course I understand that 90-plus percent of the players who are playing in this tournament and the ones that are not playing are going to be, you know, more affected by points. I mean, of course, this year I didn't have a chance to defend 4,000 points, in Australia 2,000, 2,000 here. That affects my ranking in general, of course. But my priorities are different now. So, of course, I'm not as affected, so to say.

Q. As things stand right now, it looks like this will be your last opportunity to play in a Grand Slam tournament in 2022. I'm wondering, not that you need any extra incentive to do well here, as you have repeatedly done, but I'm wondering if that comes into your mind at all as any kind of an extra push to succeed again here? I'm also wondering if you either have or will make any sort of request of the USTA or the U.S. government to allow you into the country to play at the Open.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you're right, as of today I'm not allowed to enter the States under these circumstances. Yes, of course, I'm aware of that. That is an extra motivation to do well here.

Hopefully I can have a very good tournament, as I have done in the last three editions. Then I'll just have to wait and see. I would love to go to States. But as of today, that's not possible.

There is not much I can do any more. I mean, it's really up to the U.S. government to make a decision whether or not they allow unvaccinated people to go into the country.

Q. From your perspective, how would you describe what Rafa has done this year?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I mean, he had a surgery second part of last year, coming back after that surgery and winning Grand Slam right away. Something that is really impressive, of course. Making history as well with Grand Slam wins. Again, in Roland Garros, of course, the tournament where historically he has won most titles.

Just hats down for what he has achieved, what he keeps on doing on the court. Great fighting spirit. Amazing champion. Just in general overall things that he's trying to do in order to create even more of a successful legacy for him on the court is something that you just have to respect and admire, of course, even though I'm one of his biggest rivals and we had incredible matches during our career.

Have nothing but respect for him and what he has achieved.

Q. I think I'm right in saying that only three men in the Open era have won Wimbledon four times successively or more. How much of an aspiration is it for you to join that band?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I would love to be in a position to fight for another trophy. Well, I am in the position, but I would like to be in the last match to eventually make history, of course, of this tournament that, as I said, as a seven-, eight-year-old boy I've dreamt of winning Wimbledon and becoming No. 1. That was always biggest motivation I had as a kid.

Pete Sampras, winning his first Wimbledon, was the first tennis match I've ever seen on the TV. So, of course, there's a lot of connection to this tournament. Pete has won it seven times, if I'm not mistaken. Hopefully, yeah, I can do the same this year.

Q. (Question regarding Sergiy Stakhovsky saying he's for a complete ban of Russian athletes overall in the sport.)

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I know Sergiy for a long time, of course. He's been my colleague for a long time on the court but also in the council. We have really good relationship. I reached out to him and we communicated in the last period.

Look, I understand the frustration coming from him and Ukrainian people towards Russia and what is happening. Of course, I'm not going to comment or get in the midst of the war.

But what I can say is that as a child of a war, several wars actually during the '90s, I know what it feels like being in the position.

But at the other hand, I can't say I fully agree to ban Russian tennis players, Belarusian tennis players, from competing indefinitely. I just don't see how they have contributed to anything that is really happening. I mean, I don't feel it's fair.

I think they would accept the compromise that they've actually had as a situation or circumstances with Olympic Games anyway to play under neutral flag. I feel like they deserve to win. They deserve to compete. They are professional athletes. None of them has supported any war or anything like that.

It's very sensitive. Once something like this happens on a big stage, anything you really say as a person coming from one or the other country, you know, is going to be judged in one way or another.

I understand both sides. It's really hard to say what is right, what is wrong. But in my heart as an athlete, putting myself in a position where someone would ban me from playing because of these circumstances, and I have not contributed to that, I wouldn't think that's fair.

Let me remind you that back in the '90s, from '92 to '96, any athletes from Serbia was not allowed to compete on international stage in any sport. So I know how it feels like. I know many athletes. At that time I was too young, but I know athletes that were competing at that time. I know how it has affected their lives. Many of them have left their sport because four years is a very long time.

Yeah, that's all I can say about it.

Q. You've obviously mastered the art of having success here without playing an official warmup tournament. There's quite a few top players doing that here this year: Serena, Rafa, Iga Swiatek. How hard is that to do particularly early in your career when you have less experience? What are the keys to making it work?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Sorry, I didn't hear the first part.

Q. Having success here without playing a warmup tournament.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Without playing, yeah.

Well, I think there were some years where, like, last year where there was only two weeks between the finals of French Open and the first round of Wimbledon. In those particular circumstances, especially if you have played like I have, all the way through to the Roland Garros, it's difficult to change the very next day from the slowest to the fastest surface and play more because Grand Slams take a lot out of you physically, emotionally, mentally.

Every day that you get to have a little bit of a rest and reset helps. But then we are all different. There are players that actually just love competing and playing as many official matches as possible because they see that's the best kind of practice or preparation for that surface or for the upcoming big tournaments. There are players that don't need to play as much, but need the good balance between competing and resting.

So I am more in the second group. I didn't have too many issues to adapt quickly to the surface. Over the years I learned how to play more efficiently on the surface as well. At the beginning of my career, I was still struggling with movement and sliding, et cetera.

I think the movement is the biggest one really, the biggest adaptation that needs to be done on the grass because coming from the clay, where players like myself slide quite a lot, on grass that's not always possible. It is possible to slide, but you can't do it as frequently or as often or maybe as free as you do it on clay.

You have to be more careful with the movement, tactics, et cetera, different training regimen. Different position on the court. You have to be lower, everything kind of skids through the court. It's very quick and bounces low, contrary to clay which bounces very high.

All these things that need to be taken into consideration when you're preparing, but of course all the players have their own different routines, different team of people, coaching team, coaching staff that advises them differently. It's hard to talk in general what is the proper formula. I know what works for me, but of course everyone is different.

Q. About the US Open, you said there's nothing you can do at this point. But you do still have time to get vaccinated before New York to make it in time for the US. Is that something you've completely closed your mind to as an option going forward or...

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes.

Q. It is?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes.