Novak Djokovic defeated young Frenchman Luca Van Assche. Novak has underlined that Banjaluka audience has definitely helped him win and that spectators gave wings to the world No. 1 when he needed them the most to reach his first victory at the Srpska Open tournament.
“Conditions to play were two times slower than on practice courts. Maybe the slowest surface I’ve ever played on. Everyone had a chance to see how long were other matches too. I played differently at the beginning and at the end of the match. I controlled the match in the third set and served well. I put pressure on the French player and ended the match successfully”.
Djokovic has admitted that although he grew up on clay he prefers other surfaces. He added that he is much more successful on other surfaces.
“Although I grew up on clay and played more matches on clay than on any other surface, clay is the least suitable surface for my style. I’m the best on grass, fast surface, and indoor courts. Clay does not agree with me, especially in the conditions we have here in Banjaluka. I‘ve had some excellent victories on clay, I won Roland-Garros twice, several trophies, I don’t want you to think that I’m complaining, but, in comparison with other surfaces, I have to invest much more effort on clay. I always find the weeks on clay at the beginning the season the most challenging ones because my tennis is not at the desired level and I only reach that level when the tournament in Rome and Roland-Garros come near in the calendar. To tell you the truth, I’ve been trying to get into the best shape for Paris for years”.
The audience supported Djokovic from the very first minute to the end of the match, even when things were not going his way. The best tennis player in the world was at the verge of abyss but the young Frenchman had to admit defeat.
“It was an exhausting match for both of us. It’s only natural having in mind the conditions. I had to invest more energy to win. I really meant what I said on the tennis court and that is that I won owing to the audience. I was in an unenviable position, I lost the first set and I was losing 0:1 in the second set. My tennis was not great and I needed energy and support. And the audience gave me exactly what I needed and I’m very grateful. I thank everyone for their patience. I was hoping to have such an atmosphere. This is a special moment, when you have an opportunity to play in front of your own people. I want to see and feel such an atmosphere at least one more time.
Djokovic said in Monte Carlo that other players seem to always find their game when they play against him and this is another proof. Young French player Luca Van Assche played well in the first set, the Russian played well in Monte Carlo. It seems that the new generation of tennis players are all “after Novak’s scalp”.
“I find that normal and expected. When you are world No. 1, everyone seems to be out for your scalp, to beat you. They have an additional motive, they are relaxed in their game and they want to demonstrate that they can win. It’s a feeling I recognise from before. I felt it many times, thank God. Having a playful opponent is not always pleasant. Today’s rival is young, fast and resourceful, and he is a complete tennis player. In my opinion, he is the future of tennis, especially on this surface. He plays good tennis. The fact that all of them seem to find their game playing against me, in addition to the things I mentioned before, it might also be a good introduction for a coaching career. When you play against most of them and they play well against you, maybe that’s a signal that you might be a good coach one day”.
His elbow was giving him hard time but he felt good on the tennis court.
“My elbow is fine. It “survived” more than 2.5 hours of this match, in not so ideal conditions for joints. However, I’m healthy and eager to win more matches”, Djokovic concluded.
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Tue 25 Apr 2023
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