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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 21, 2011

Novak Djokovic

CINCINNATI, OHIO

A. MURRAY/N. Djokovic
6-4, 3-0 (ret.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. If the rain had come 60 seconds earlier, would it have impacted your decision?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't think so. I mean, I don't think anything could change in that short period of time. Just, yeah, it's unfortunate that I had to finish this way. I apologize to the tournament; I apologize to the people who came here today to watch the match.
I really tried. Didn't make sense for me to continue.

Q. Is there such a thing as a good loss heading into the Open?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: There is no good loss, that's for sure. But the good thing is that there is a week, eight days to the start of the US Open. So I think that's enough time for me to get ready.

Q. Do you expect this to affect you at all going into the US Open?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I believe not.

Q. Was it a lot worse today than it had been?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes.

Q. Could you describe what was going on with you physically? Was it just the shoulder or...
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, well, the major issue was shoulder. Generally I was quite exhausted playing many matches, but the exhaustion is not the reason.
The reason is shoulder pain. I just could not serve. I served an average 90 miles per hour the first serve, and I could not play forehands.
You know, I could have maybe played another couple of games, but what for? I cannot beat a player like Murray today with one stroke.

Q. So the pain in the shoulder would more affect the serving and not so much the rallies? You had one 40-shot rally or something.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, well, you know, as I said, I had the most problem with the shoulder during my serve and forehand. Running forehand mostly, or when I'm on the stretch. When I hit it from the spot it's okay, but not on the stretch.
So, yeah, I'm not finding any excuses. Of course I'm not saying if I was 100% that I would certainly win because Andy is a great player, but I am sure that we will have a better match.

Q. How long has it been troubling you? Has it got gradually worse day by day?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It has been there for about ten days. Yeah, it was increasing, the pain was increasing, but we were trying to maintain the good condition.
Today was just too much.

Q. Have you had an MRI or anything?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, I didn't have because I didn't have time. I was playing every day.

Q. Apart from your shoulder, talk about the exhaustion you mentioned before, the general fatigue level.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of expected. I've played so many matches this year. I mean, I've been winning, you know, a lot and reaching the final stages of each event that I've participated on. You know, considering the schedule that is very busy in tennis, it's kind of normal to expect that at some stage you are exhausted.
But as I said, you know, I am confident that I can recover and be ready for US Open.

Q. Is it too busy, the schedule? Back-to-back Master's events coming into the US Open, I mean, you're not the only player that's got problems at the moment.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, well, you know, we can discuss about this for the whole day. I mean, we do have some things that we are trying to change in the schedule. There has been certain changes from next year. We'll have two weeks shorter the year.
But still, the intensity is going to be the same, if not tougher. But, look, it's the same for everybody. We just have to I guess get used to it and adjust.

Q. Have you had to adjust your life in the regard of being world No. 1? How has that constrained you? Has it added pressure? Added fatigue? Increased pressures on your schedule?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I think I have a pretty good team of people around me that are doing their job really well to make me feel, you know, focused and professional and concentrated and relaxed on the court as much as they can.
Because it's important. There is a lot of requests and demands and of course attention with the new position that I have. But I think I'm doing a quite good job. I'm still doing the same things I have done even before I became No. 1, so it's going to say stay that way.

Q. Despite today's loss, it's still a great day for Serbian tennis with Jelena also in the finals. Talk about how you've seen tennis grow in Serbia.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it grows rapidly. The results we had the last couple years are incredible. You always think you know how far it can go, and every year it's better.
I'm proud of all the tennis players who are coming from our country, and I'm happy to see them doing well. Hopefully we can bring at least one title to Serbia today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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