ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 8, 2023

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/S. Korda

6-7, 7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, your 92nd career title, 11th in Australia, second here in Adelaide. What a way to start the season.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It was a great week obviously. Concluding the week with the trophy, better than losing in the finals. But it was anybody's match today. I thought, what I said on the court, that he was closer to win it. He had match point. He was a break up, 40-Love in the first set, he managed to win the tiebreaker. He was quite in control. I wasn't playing my best at all. But found a way to win.

I think in the tough days, when you're not maybe striking the ball, not feeling your best on the court, and you win the match, particularly if it's like later stages of the tournament, like the finals, it just gives you even more confidence and satisfaction for achieving that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've had 12 days in Adelaide. You seemed to have enjoyed yourself. Hiking, cricket. Has that restored your faith in Australia after what happened last year?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I have enjoyed myself thoroughly really on and off the court. All the people that came to watch me play and gave me a lot of support and love, that made my stay in Australia and also experience even more positive, even more better.

As I said at the beginning of the first press conference, I don't hold any grudges. I told you I had far many more positive experiences in Australia to throw that away just because of what happened last year.

I feel very comfortable with people, normal people, that follow sport, that I encounter on an everyday basis. I haven't had any negative experience so far. So every person that I met, whether it's in the city or in the woods, I actually met few kangaroos, as well, had a chat with them, everyone was very kind, very supportive.

So there is no reason for me to feel differently than what I'm receiving from them.

Q. In a day or two will you look back and think that was exactly the sort of preparation that you needed before the Open?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Absolutely. Five great matches. The last three opponents... Second round, 7-6, 7-6, tough two tiebreakers against Halys, who is playing very well. Then I had Shapovalov, Medvedev and Korda, who is on fire, playing some high-level tennis, striking the ball amazingly. I couldn't ask for a better preparation and lead-up to Australian Open.

Of course, Australian Open is the biggest reason why I'm here in Australia, but at the same time I want to win every tournament I play on, regardless of the level of the tournament.

I mean, I love playing in Australia. I mean, my results are a testament to that. I wouldn't be able to play so well in a place where I don't feel well.

I look forward to Melbourne. Rod Laver is probably my most -- not probably, it certainly is my most successful court in my career. I love playing there. I look forward to it.

I have a week off for recovery now and working on specific things in terms of my game, my body, getting my mind in the right state for the best-of-five and two long weeks hopefully.

Q. With the hamstring issue you had against Medvedev, was there any chance you wouldn't play? Did you wake up all right this morning?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I woke up all right. Went deep into night last night with work done with the physio. Talk with the doctors, as well, of the tournament, et cetera. There was a lot of care going into today's match about the hamstring. It was all right.

Few times in the match I felt was tightening up, the muscle, but nothing that would worry me for my performance.

Q. You touched on the confidence you gained probably not playing your best and finding a way to win. Is there ever a point that you have almost a feeling of invincibility out there where you can't be beaten?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, not really, to be honest. I mean, no one is invincible. We've seen the biggest tennis players in the history of the game lose some big matches. I've lost many matches where I was up actually in a match or close matches. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don't. Statistically I've won more of those, which I'm obviously very happy about.

It's hard to say what the formula of success is in these kind of particular circumstances. I feel like each one of us is so different and we are all unique in our own way in terms of the character, in terms of the body, in terms of how we play tennis.

Someone feels more comfortable serving and volleying when you're match point down, some feeling playing conservatively from the back of the court. It's really a matter of and a question of the moment, who you play against, what do you feel.

Of course, thousands of thoughts are running in your head at that moment. You feel pressure, no doubt. It's just now how you handle it, how you adapt to it, and how you bring yourself back to the present moment and try to get the most out of it.

As I said, statistically I've been lucky to win more of these kind of matches. Of course, the more you win these particular matches, the better you feel. I think it gets to the head of your opponents more, as well. That's what I want. I want them to know that regardless of the scoreline, I'm always there, I'm always fighting till the last shot, and I'm able to turn things around.

Of course, going into the court with anybody knowing that they know as well what I'm capable of is, of course, advantage.

Q. We asked you about potentially playing with Nick Kyrgios ahead of the Australian Open. There's been talk of Medvedev. Can you share what your plans are?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: We have to see now. The week is long. Thankfully I'll have some time to recover. It's been a long I would say five weeks for me or more with pre-season, coming into Australia. I've been here almost two weeks in Adelaide training really hard, having a lot of match play time on the court that I spent.

I'm pleased with the way I am playing, way I'm feeling. Now it's really fine-tuning, just adapting to the conditions. They're slightly different in Melbourne. Just taking it easy because I've had a lot of intensity this week.

If I get to play practice matches with the guys that you mentioned, it would be great. But we have to see how we organize the whole week.

Q. Any chance we see you at Kooyong?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, I will not play in the Kooyong. It will be in Melbourne Park, yeah.

Q. You won in Adelaide for the first time in 2007, your first win in Australia. How did you find the facility this week, the sun on the court?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: That was the worst thing that I experienced this week, to be honest. It's the only one. Everything else was great. Tournament director, organization of the tournament, really kind to me and my team. We felt great. We stayed at the really wonderful place in nature. The whole journey here to Adelaide and experience was amazing. Brought me back to 2007 as well. It was the last time I played here that I won. It was one of the first tournaments, professional tournaments, in my career, the first one on Australian soil.

I've had a lot of friends that I've actually seen tonight. My former coach that was coaching me when I won the tournament was here tonight. That was special.

But this time between 6 and almost 8, I mean, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining because it's same for everyone, of course for me and my opponent, but it was just so difficult to play with this angle of the light coming in.

But again, it happens every year. I guess you have to accept it. It was frustrating for me on the court, but I managed to overcome which is the most important thing.

Q. There's been a bit of talk about you getting out in the community, the restaurants, hiking. Any businesses or restaurants you'd like to give a shot out to?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Africola Restaurant close to is it botanical park. Went there for two or three dinners actually. The staff is super nice. Food is amazing. Just great hype.

Also Mount Lofty, that's where we stayed the last few weeks, if I pronounced it well. Also great people. Amazing hiking trails. We rent to Henley Beach almost four, five times. We try to move around particularly before the matches and the tournament started. Once the tournament started, it was more difficult to kind of go around, except for me going to the woods, the mountain.

It was great. I grew up on a mountain in Serbia, so I love mountain. Obviously made me feel serene, allowed me to recharge the energy and batteries in order to perform well on the court.

Q. What food did you order?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I kept it vegetarian. My brother and friends, they love the chicken. They said it was one of the best chickens they ever had. Shout-out to Africola, amazing.