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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS MENFebruary 27, 2013Novak DjokovicDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES N. DJOKOVIC/R. Agut THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Looked easy until the end. NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it's never easy. You know, I think it wouldn't be nice to say if it's easy or not, but I think I played really, really well and a high level throughout most of the match. And then I had another poor game like yesterday towards the end when I needed to close it out and a few match points. 5‑4 he served well, he fighted his way through, and I have to give them credit for that. He's a great competitor. I never played against him, so I didn't know really what to expect. But generally I'm feeling quite confident on the court, which is a good thing. Q. Would you read too much into the fact that when you're serving out the match you have a game like that? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, just for some reason I didn't stay committed to every point in that game as I have done throughout the whole match, and that lack of concentration maybe in one game cannot happen, you know, and especially in the next stages, you know, when I play better players. So I have to be careful about that. Q. Does that help you, getting at sort of a close second set, for later when it's going to be tougher? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't think it's going to make a big difference really, but I have had so many tournaments in my life and opening stages when I played long matches, short matches. Doesn't really make difference for me. Q. Seppi is having a lot of firsts this week, like he won his first match in Dubai and he beat Mathieu for the first time. He's never beaten you. Are you expecting a tough match? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I hope it's not going to be the first time. (Laughter.) No, I know him quite well. We practiced actually seven days ago in Monte‑Carlo. He's based there, also, so we get to see each other. I know he's a good fighter, also. He plays very solid from baseline, can play well on different surfaces. Yeah, I need to start well, as I did in first two matches, and I think I have a good chance. Q. The other day you were talking about the young generation of Serbia. How about Marko? Do you think he's on his way to... NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, he is. Three years ago I think he was already 500, 600 when he was 18 years old and was playing well. Then unfortunately injuries kept him away, and mentally he struggled because there is a lot of pressure and expectation because he's my younger brother. It's the same story for Djordje, but hopefully they can find a way to make a breakthrough. I'm trying to help them as much as I can with advices, and we spent a lot of time together. You know, each one of us has a different part that he has to go through, so hopefully they can be successful. Q. Where is your younger brother now? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Marko is here, and Djordje, the youngest one, he's in Turkey, actually. He's going to play now I think some Futures in Portugal, Spain. So, you know, now he's focusing on that. He's been developing his game, and it's a bit of a longer process, I think, for them than it was for me at that age because, yes, I did have a tough time growing up, no match conditions, but still didn't have anybody in front of me so I didn't have that kind of pressure and expectations from somebody to, you know, to succeed in tennis. But they have, you know. It's not that easy. And as I said yesterday in the press conference for the younger generations, it's more difficult nowadays to make that breakthrough. So hopefully they can make it. Q. Obviously a lot has been made about doping. Roger and Andy have come out and said what they have had to say. What are your thoughts on doping control? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I already said in Australia, I think, everything. We're trying to keep the sport very clean. That's the bottom line, you know. I think everybody has the same treatment, and I have nothing against testing, you know, blood, urine, whatever. I know what I'm doing and I'm trying to protect also the integrity of the sport, you know, as I think all the other professional tennis players. We're all aware of the fact that we want this sport to be as clean as possible so we didn't have much scandals, really, and I think that says enough about quality of tennis. Q. Have you been blood‑tested since Australia? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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