|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
MONTE-CARLO ROLEX MASTERSApril 15, 2014Novak DjokovicMONTE CARLO, MONACO N. DJOKOVIC/A. Montanes THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How did the match feel today? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, for the first match on clay, it was great. I mean, I lost only one game, so there were not too many flaws in my game that I could recall. On the other side, I've had an opponent that is a specialist for this surface, but he hasn't played even close to his highest level. He was making a lot of unforced errors. Me on the other side, I was just trying to, you know, use the court well, not allowing him to get into the rhythm. I was changing the angles. I was coming to the net, being aggressive. Just very good first match. Q. I know you're a football fan. Do you remember the last time you won a match in 45 minutes? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't. Do you? I don't remember. I mean, I've had some short matches. I would say I had some matches. For example, the one I remember was against Hernych in Basel, I think 6‑Love, 6‑Love, 30 something minutes. I mean, it's great that you have a chance to finish your work on the court in such a short time. On the other side, I would like to have a little bit more longer rallies, bigger challenge so I can test myself, see where I am, where my game is at at this moment on the clay because it's the first match on the clay since Roland Garros last year. But, again, I've practiced a lot. This is the place where I live. This court is very familiar to me. During the season I spend a lot of time hitting the balls here. So I look forward to the next match. Q. Can you tell us what happened to your right wrist? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I have a certain problem that I carry for the last week or so with the wrist. The short match today helped definitely. So I'm going to have some time to heal it. Hopefully it's going to be even better next one. Q. Do you enjoy your rivalry with Rafa as much as the fans do? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Of course. Look, this is the biggest rivalry I have in my career, that's for sure. I mean, I've played him 40 times, different surfaces, different occasions. I was mentioning a few days ago in the press conference that I think my first or second year on the professional circuit I already played him a couple matches in the big tournaments. Every match brings something new, some new excitement, of course a lot of emotions, a lot of tension and expectations from both sides. Hopefully it's going to escalate and it's going to, you know, become one of the biggest rivalries ever. Q. And it's fun? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Of course. It's a huge challenge for me to be able to play Rafa and win against Rafa in the biggest stages, biggest tournaments. Of course, it's not easy. But a rivalry with him definitely allowed me to grow as a person and as a tennis player, allowed me to understand the things I need to work on. I take it from the positive side, of course. I had my ups and downs throughout my career, but my rivalry with him and with Roger made me a better player, that's for sure. Q. Can you talk a bit more about the wrist injury, how it started? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I prefer not talking about it. It's just something I carry for the last seven days. Hopefully it's going to go away. Q. Do you still have time also and the pleasure to enjoy off the court? I saw you on TV in Italy. Here normally you participate for the player party. Do you still like to do that or is it more fatiguing and you're trying to stay out of all the action outside the tennis court? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's the balance between the things. I believe 'balance' is the right word. It's one of my mottos in life, trying to always moderate between the professional and private life. In the end of the day, you know, you need to lead your life. Of course, tennis is a big part of my life, but it's not the only thing that I enjoy, that I have that makes me happy. Luckily for me I have a lot of sources of happiness from outside of a tennis court. That's something that definitely brings a smile on my face because I wouldn't be enjoying so much if the only source of the happiness in my life is winning tennis matches. That's it. Q. Will you sing or dance this week? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You're referring directly to the player party? You have to ask the question like that then (laughter). But thanks for being philosophical before that. No, the player party is for me one of the highlights of the year, of the tennis season. I love it. Unfortunately last year I didn't take part in it. This year I'll make sure I'm there and I'll do something fun. Q. You said two days ago, and Rafa said, it is difficult to find out how to beat you on clay. Where do you go? Forehand? No. Backhand? No. Movement? No. At the same time how can you explain that you win seven times in a row, he wins three times in a row? As you said, yes, you learn from something. How and what do you learn? Seven times in a row, why do you beat him? Why are you beating him so many times? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: There is not one word that can really describe or that really tells you the secret of my tactics or my approach to the matches with Rafa or the way I win against him. I'm sure he's going to say the same. It just comes in swings. I think it's normal in life to have ups and downs. In last few years we had periods where he was winning a couple matches in a row, then myself, then him again, then me again. That shows, in my eyes, that both of us, we learn from the mistakes, then we make it count in the matches after that. We all change. I cannot compare myself to the player that I was a few years ago. Every season is different. It's a new challenge, not just on the court but off the court. I'm the same person at home and on the court. There are things mentally that can affect you and your game. Whatever happens in your private life can be an advantage or disadvantage on the court. That is why there is always something new mentally you have to counter. Physically we all can work and get ourselves in the perfect state. But mentally and emotionally it's up and down. It's life. You know, you're human, you make mistakes, then you learn something new. You have to encounter something else because in the end of the day confidence is something that every single professional athlete in the world wants to have and doesn't want to lose. But losing confidence is much easier than gaining confidence. It's a long process of winning many matches, getting the self‑belief on the court, maintaining that high level of performance, getting that confidence, getting in that right zone and where you want to be. You can lose it in a few days' time. People were asking me before about 2011, why can I not perform the same way I performed in 2011. It's different. Every year brings something new. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|