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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 16, 2011

Novak Djokovic

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

N. DJOKOVIC/V. Troicki
6-0, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I thought you played a very solid match, but to win 6-Love, 6-1 for the second time in a row, does it seem like you're playing outstanding tennis, or is it something that your opponents are doing?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I don't think I'm playing, you know, incredible tennis. I think I'm playing really, really solid and getting a lot of balls back into the court and making my opponent play an extra shot.
Obviously I had two very big hitters yesterday and today, and big serves, but I was managing to return a lot of balls in and making them, you know, put a lot of unforced errors. That's what happened today.
I think he had a very bad match in general. But I was very solid, and I keep on playing well. So this is what makes me happy.
It wasn't easy playing against a good friend, obviously, but, you know, one of us had to lose.

Q. He probably played his best tennis in the last game, just in time for your doubles, I guess.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, yeah. It's a bit obviously uncomfortable for me and for him, as well, to play doubles two hours after we finish the singles match, you know, where he had suffered a bad loss.
But hopefully he can recover and we can play well in doubles, you know. We're professionals, so we know what it feels like to win and to lose.

Q. Gasquet is up one set. If you have to play him, what kind of match do you expect?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: He's kind of unpredictable player, you know, lately. I think he's one of the most talented players that I have seen. He can play serve and volley defensively well, offensively well. He has a lot of varieties in his game.
If he's on the top of his game, he can beat anyone, I think, in any surface. This surface, you know, ball bounces a little bit higher and it's a bit slower, which I think is suitable to his style of the game.
So a tough one, definitely, but you cannot still say that he's gonna win, because Roddick is big fighter. So we'll see.

Q. What if Andy does turn it around and comes back to win, what do you do coming up against Andy?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, we all know everything about his serve, which is a big advantage of his game. A very strong player, a great competitor. You know, he never gives up. I think that's one of his, you know, better sides.
He can play very patient. He can change the pace of the game. He can, you know, not give you a lot of rhythm, so, you know, it's crucial to hold serve, I guess, and wait for your chance.

Q. In terms of the players you've faced, who has the best backhand? Is Gasquet one of them, and Wawrinka?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, one-handed backhands, I guess, you know, you named it already. Those guys can come up with some unbelievable shots from that side.
But, you know, it's not one shot that makes the whole match. You know, you have to play consistently well. I guess at this stage, you know, you're playing, you know, high-ranked opponents, and you have to play really well to win.

Q. Do you take anything out of matches like today and yesterday or the day before where you've only dropped two games in those two matches? Do you take anything away out of those?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, the time spent on the court, I guess in one way it's good that I'm not spending that much energy, because now I have tough matches coming up, you know, quarterfinals and the opponents are, you know, getting better and better.
So I'm ready for it, you know. I've played enough matches this year, so I don't think it's gonna have a negative effect on my game that I didn't play that much.
I think it's actually good, because then I save my energy and I can really, you know, be 100% physically on the court in my quarters.

Q. You've spoken about your increasing competence basically over the past six months or so, but do you also feel any additional pressures at this stage?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. No. I don't feel -- I really have this experience from a couple of years back playing on the tour where I have, you know, won a Grand Slam in 2008 and I was No. 1 of the world in first couple of months of the year playing really well.
And then, you know, I dropped. I wasn't consistent enough, and it came back to me. I was not experienced player, and I didn't know how to, you know, deal with some things in my career.
But now it's different. You know, I feel that physically I'm stronger. I have more speed in my game. I have more variety in my game, as well.
Obviously I can use that necessary experience to focus on the things that I have to focus on, you know, not paying too much attention on calculations and pressure and things like that.
Of course pressure is a part of our lives, and there is always some kind of expectations and pressure. But if you minimize that, you're on a good way.

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