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CHINA OPENOctober 1, 2012Novak DjokovicBEIJING, CHINA THE MODERATOR: Questions in Chinese, please. Q. I have two questions. The first one is: How much difficulty do you have to go back to No. 1? The second question is: Are you ready to win the third championship in China Open? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, hello, everybody. It's nice to see you all here. Nice to be again back in Beijing, in China, after 2010. Unfortunately I haven't played here last year because of the injury, so I'm excited. I won this tournament 2009 and 2010, and as I said, I skipped the last year. I think going to your second question, I really, really want to do well here. I have been playing well. I won the bronze medal in these courts, so really nicest memories from this tournament. I really look forward to the start of the tournament. I came here a couple of days ago, so I think I'm ready enough to perform my best. On the other question, it is still open, you know, the No. 1 spot of the world. Obviously I will try to dedicate myself and focus to every tournament that I play, try not to think about what's going to happen in the end of the season because there is still, you know, more than a few tournaments to go, you know, here in Asia and then after, indoor season in Europe. So as I said, everything is possible, but I will try to not think about calculations, not think about any other players' results, and just concentrate on my own game. Q. Hello, Novak. You have been here in China Open for two days. After the practice with your partners for two days, how do you feel now? What's your impression? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Hello to you. (Laughter.) Very brave of you, by the way, to ask questions for your age. I have had, you know, great time these last couple of days in Beijing, as I always do. When I came to the hotel, a couple of the fans were waiting in front of the hotel with presents, and that's been the case on the practices, as well. I have been getting each day different presents and surprises from the fans and acknowledgements. So I'm very appreciative, and I respect, you know, Chinese tennis fans a lot because they are very passionate. I have enjoyed it. I can't wait to play my first match tomorrow. Q. You wear sportswear on the court, but today you have business casual. So which dressing code is more suitable for you? And also, for some players, for those who want to participate in the banquet, what's your understanding of dressing code for fashion? What's your understanding of fashion? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I can already say that I feel more comfortable in my tennis clothes. That's for sure. Wearing a tennis shirt is more common and more comfortable to me. But, you know, me personally, I like to dress up casual, I like to dress up differently, get into the suit, get into the jeans. You know, we don't have much occasions, but, you know, it always feels good when you look nice. So, I mean, every tennis player, every athlete, every person has a different way of perceiving fashion. I cannot speak or generalize things and opinions. I like fashion. I follow fashion. It's important part of people's lives, but I don't depend from it, also. Q. Cilic was eliminated today. What do you think will be the largest opponent for you in China Open this year? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: My opponent is the one I focus on tomorrow. That's all I think of at this moment, is the first match. As I said, I haven't played here in two years. I never played on the big stadium, new stadium, because it was used for the first time in 2011. So I'll try only to focus on tomorrow's match. And regarding the other players taking a part in this tournament, it's a great field. You know, you have top 10 players. You have really good quality players, attractive players for the fans, and, you know, obviously it's a combined event. So in the woman's side it's maybe even stronger. It's good for everybody to have such a strong tournament. THE MODERATOR: Questions in English. Q. With Federer now a bit older and Nadal struggling with injuries, do you envisage a kind of long‑running rivalry with Murray that might dominate tennis for many years? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, we are about to see that. Obviously there is nothing we can predict. It's an individual sport. A lot of things can affect your career. Obviously staying healthy is a priority for all of us. It's a very physically demanding sport. Looking at the schedule, we have to travel, you know, constantly and, you know, adjust in very little time for different surfaces, different time zones. The one who stays the fittest, I guess, and the one that then, you know, endures the most I guess will have the most chances to stay on top of the men's tennis. But, I mean, as you said, at this moment Federer, Nadal, Murray, myself, we have been playing really, really well in last five, six years and grabbing most of the Grand Slam titles, so I think that gets more attention to our sport, you know, the rivalry that we have between each other. But we'll see. You know, it also depends how far Roger is gonna go, how long he's gonna play more. You know, Rafa having not played from Wimbledon, see how he's gonna feel physically. Murray I think is playing better than ever. You know, he won his first Grand Slam title. I'm sure that he's one that's going to be in the future one of the contenders to win every Grand Slam he plays in. He definitely has the skill, the quality. But there is many more other players like Tsonga, Berdych, Ferrer who can surprise, who can, you know, be out there fighting for a trophy. So I think it's quite a good field. It's quite a good group of players that are, you know, with great quality. We'll see what happens. Q. I know this is your first tournament since that epic match against Andy Murray at the US Open. I guess, is there an added excitement to get back on the court after kind of a long gap between that one and this one? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Sure. Well, three weeks is a very long gap for tennis players in the season. Yeah, I do have an excitement before tomorrow's match. I'm ready to play. I want to play. I have been practicing and preparing for, you know, for a good performance. Q. Will you dance Gangnam style at China Open? We want to see you dance with Petkovic. NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Andrea? Well, sure, why not? I'm open for any suggestions. That song is actually very popular. I did dance a couple of days ago with that song. So why not? If she's ready, I'm glad to dance with somebody. You know, I don't like dancing alone. It would be nice if it's a girl, also. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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