THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 10, 2023

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/H. Hurkacz

7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference of Novak Djokovic.

Novak, give us your initial thoughts on the match.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Kind of two different matches: last night and today. Completely different conditions. Playing under the roof more humid, more slippery. Obviously no wind. A bit easier for the rhythm for the serve. At the same time a bit slower from the back of the court, more rallies.

Today, completely different. Very, very windy. Difficult to get the rhythm and tempo on the toss. It didn't seem to affect him much.

I thought maybe that could be my chance to start reading his serve a bit better. That wasn't the case. He was serving incredibly well. I don't recall being so helpless on the return games, to be honest.

I knew that he's a big server and he's a fantastic player on the grass particularly, but I didn't expect him to serve this well and this accurate. Credit to him.

It was a very, very close match. It could have gone a different way. He had his chances, particularly in the first set tiebreaker. Yeah, in the important moments, particularly in the fourth, I managed to read his serve, make that break that was the key to success.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Second match in four days where the curfew has suspended the match till the next day. Grass court matches are taking longer. Should Wimbledon reconsider the 1:30 start?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I think so. I agree with that. Obviously curfew is probably something that is much more difficult to change, I understand, because of the community and the residential area we are in.

I think the matches could be pushed at least to start at 12:00. I think it would make a difference.

Q. There was frustration on your side. It completely went away in the fourth set. What was the inner dialogue with yourself?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You don't want to know (smiling).

No, I mean, look, I go through my moments. I think in matches like this where you don't have many chances at all on the serve, service games of your opponent, when they're presented, you don't use them. Then obviously the pressure builds up.

I don't have as strong of a serve that Hurkacz has. I had to probably work a bit more for my service games, and I knew that. Eventually that pressure that builds up just goes out.

Yeah, I was frustrated the way I played the last game of the third set. Also credit to him, he played really, really good game. I was a bit passive and the set was gone. I like my chances going into tiebreak in the third set. That's why I was, of course, more frustrated.

After that I just regrouped. I said, Okay, we'll start from scratch. I don't know, I felt a bit more energetic, a bit more I would say in balance, especially in the return, in the fourth set. The 3-All game was a great return game because he was making most of his first serves, but I was managing to read and anticipate.

It's kind of a gamble really with him because he hits all angles. He's so precise. He hits over 130 miles basically every serve. It's kind of good luck and choose a side type of thing.

I was fortunate there to read his serve and get into the rally, which I always wanted. I think I like my chances in the rally. But I thought he also played much better from the baseline today than he did last night.

Just a very, very close match. Amazing battle.

Q. On the scheduling, when you're in the third slot on Centre Court at the moment, can you describe how challenging it is with the uncertainty surrounding when do you start, when do you warm up, will I even finish the match today? How difficult was that to deal with?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I mean, once the time is over 20 hours, it's over 8:00, you know that there's a high probability you won't finish your match. That was the case against Wawrinka and Hurkacz. Both of the matches started almost actually 9:00. It was 20 to 9:00 or something like this, or 8:30 that we walked out on the court.

I warmed up for both of those matches around 1:00, something like this. Should you go back to the accommodation, the house nearby, or should you stay. Yesterday I decided to stay. I stayed basically for seven hours waiting for my match to start.

That's a lot. You never know what's going to happen. Today I'm thinking, I have at least an hour and a half. Then after 20 minutes, my match is called because there was a retirement in the ladies match before us.

It's tennis. That's the unpredictability of tennis in a way. You have to be ready for both scenarios. When I saw the matches that were played before me yesterday with Rublev-Bublik, and Swiatek-Bencic, I thought those matches could be long matches. But you don't know that. You can only predict. It's never a guarantee.

Yeah, it's tricky, especially if there is a lot of players and a lot of stuff, members of the respective players' teams, and they all occupy spaces for rest. It's not easy to find a corner where you can just be by yourself.

That's okay. In the end of the day, it is what it is. You have to adapt. It's not the first, probably neither the last, time that I get to experience these type of particular circumstances.

Wimbledon has been so attached, I would say connected, with its tradition and history in not changing certain things, which I respect a lot. I think they're wonderful things to keep with history, like the defending champion going out on the first day.

Even though it was nice for us to get a chance in the last couple of years to practice on the Centre Court before the tournament starts, I have to say I'm not a fan of that. I would rather have no practice at all on the Centre Court before the tournament starts. I think that would help the court.

It also is the most sensitive surface we have in the sport. So you can feel the grass wearing out even after few practice sessions already, getting the beating from the sliding and running and so forth.

Yeah, I mean, I just answered to your colleague that I think there are different ways that I'm sure they will address this issue and try to, yeah, avoid having these kind of problems in the future.

Q. The number 23 has an exalted status in the United States. Now you have it, of course, on your shoes. What are your thoughts on the shoes you're wearing with 23 and what will you do with them if and when you reach 24?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: My thoughts on wearing the shoes with 23? I mean, there's not much to say about that. I think the number speaks for itself. That's why we've done it. I'm grateful to ASICS. I didn't even know actually. They surprised me a few days before the tournament started. I think it's cool. It's nice to mark the achievement, historic achievement, in this way.

Well, obviously if it happens in less than a week time that I reach the 24, then we'll have to use the 24, I guess. It's not going to be a big problem to do that.

Yeah, I mean, it's pretty much what I can say. I mean, I'm very proud of the achievement obviously, but I'm already with my thoughts on this tournament and trying to make the most out of it.

Q. Can you address your next opponent?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes.

Andrey Rublev is a fantastic player who's got one of the best forehands in the game. Brings a lot of intensity to the court with his grunts. He kind of scares off his opponents across the net. Extremely nice guy. Very nice person. Works as hard as anybody out there to be a top-10 player, which he has been for the last several years. He's one of the most consistent players on all surfaces. I have lots of respect for him.

I was surprised that he has actually never reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam, which obviously will serve as a motivation more for him tomorrow to be inspired and play his best tennis.

Yeah, let's see what happens. I'm going to have to prepare myself tactically differently for Rublev than I have for Hurkacz. Doesn't have as powerful a serve as Hurkacz does, but he definitely has quicker hands, just very powerful game from the baseline. Yeah, I'll hope to recover and be as fresh as I possibly can be tomorrow.