The Championships Wimbledon
at Wimbledon, England
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
M. SAFIN bt N. Djokovic 6-4, 7-6, 6-2
An interview with: NOVAK DJOKOVIC
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Novak.
Q. Was it a bad day at the office for you or a very
good day for Safin, a bit of both? What surprised you most?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it was certainly a very bad day
for me. I didn't do anything that I was supposed to do. He was very
solid in all segments of the game. He was serving well, and like that,
putting a lot of pressure on me.
I was serving a lot of double-faults, which is
unusual. I was just not finding my momentum, that's all. What can I do?
I mean, it's a straight-sets win. I didn't expect it, honestly saying. I
knew he's a very tough player to play against - even today - on any
surfaces. Especially playing him on Centre Court obviously motivates him
more to do well. Nobody expect from him too much.
Q. You finally did find your serve a little bit
midway through the second set and got into the tiebreak. You lost it
again. After the frustration of finding your serve and losing the
tiebreak, did you just not feel like you could give everything you had
in the third set?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I was trying, you know. I kept on
trying, even though after the second set I tried to come back. It's not
that I gave up. You know, I knew that I can turn around at any second.
Safin is a player who is known as a big talent, very
powerful groundstroke player. But, again, he makes a lot of unforced
errors. I had these opportunities, a couple of opportunities, on his
service games when it was 30-All, 15-30, deuce. But then I just -- I
just -- I made some unforced errors, which were really uncharacteristic,
without any sense.
So he was just very consistent with all the strokes
and he was mentally there. Every point he was going slowly, and opposite
of me. I was having a lot of ups and downs. When I found my momentum, I
couldn't keep it.
Q. You talked about the double-faults and the
unforced errors. John McEnroe said after the match he thought you looked
tired and that maybe you had played too many matches. What do you think?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You know, tired mentally, probably
I'd say yes. It's been a long season, even though it's only halfway
through. But physically I wasn't tired, and that was not the explanation
why I lost today. He was just better than me on the court. I had very
bad day, and that's it.
Q. Have you seen him play that well in recent years?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I haven't watched him, you know, a
lot in last two years. You know, Safin still has his ups and downs. He's
known for his, you know, mental instability in some ways. But he's still
a great player. I mean, he's still not too old. He's playing well. He's
moving well. He wants to go back. You know, he wants to step it up again
and try to get far in a major.
This is a good way to start.
Q. You said you were mentally tired. Is it the
travelling, so much matches, dealing with the press every day, day after
day?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, it's a part of my life and I
have to accept it. You know, obviously everything from all.
Q. There was a sort of warm embrace between the two
of you at the end. Do you know each other particularly well, or do you
just get on well?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, we know each other off the court
as well pretty good. I mean, we've been practicing. When I was a junior
I looked at him as one of the, you know, greatest players, one of the
idols. So I admired the way he plays.
At the times when I was junior he was, you know, the
top of the world. I used to practice with him, because we had then, and
still we have, the same manager.
I have a lot of respect for him. Maybe that played a
role today in the match.
Q. Considering instability, can we say you were
waiting for him to make his usual mistakes, but they were just not
coming today?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah. This was one of the things that
went wrong. I shouldn't just wait for the mistakes. I was supposed to go
for the shots and play aggressive style that I always play.
But it wasn't my day.
Q. Which of these two matches against Marat hurts the
most: getting completely crushed at the Australian Open or here where
you're the No. 3 seed and have established yourself as a top player,
losing to a No. 65?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, I don't compare it at all. I
mean, this first match we played was three, four years ago. I was still
very young and it was my first Grand Slam. It was understandable at the
time. He won this tournament. He was playing extremely well.
I cannot compare it. Now, I'm much more matured,
better experienced player in general. But, you know, I don't -- I try to
look at it as positive as much as I can. It's a loss, but it's a part of
the sport.
You know, life goes on. What can we do? There is
still a long way through.
Q. Just an observation, but you didn't appear to be
wearing your normal brand of shoe today. Do you have an issue with the
grass?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I have issue with the grass. I
was wearing another brand of the shoe. This was agreement between adidas
and myself. I had a lot of difficulties with the movement, especially in
Queen's this year, and even in the past years.
I just tried to make -- we just tried to have
agreement and the best possible solution. So I thank them for the
support, because it was a big step for all of us. A bit risky, but it
was the only way that I could imagine myself far in the tournament. This
was the difference that I felt that we can improve on.
Q. Because you had the problem last year that forced
you to withdraw?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, that was one of the reasons.
Q. Must be a little bit of a strange feeling. It's
been a while since you lost this early in a Grand Slam.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: What I'm going to do (smiling)?
Q. What are you going to do to regroup from here? Any
lessons you've taken away from it at this point?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm going to probably stay another
week and watch matches. No (laughter).
I'm going to go home - home sweet home.
Q. How will you regroup? What will you do?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'll rest a little bit. Without the
racquet. I'll leave the racquets at home and I'll go somewhere many
miles away.
Q. Safin has been No. 1 in the world. He played very
well everywhere, but not that well normally on grass. He lost many
matches in his life on grass. Do you think today he was playing
extremely well or it was just you?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It was mostly me. You know, I said on
the start that he was very solid in all sides. He was playing with not
much unforced errors from the back, good return. But I wasn't doing
anything to hurt him, you know. My serve, even when I had the high
percentage of the first serve, it was going on his racquet. No angles,
no precision whatsoever.
Yes, he was playing well today. He didn't play
extremely well, but he was playing enough, you know, to win.
Q. How big of a chance do you give Safin at this
Wimbledon? How big a chance do you give to the Russians at the Euro Cup,
if you're watching?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Safin, if he plays this well, can get
far. This is a question of the time and the day, so every match is
different. You can't really predict what's going to happen, but I wish
him well.
And Euro Cup, I hope Russia wins.
Q. Given the fact that you reached the semifinals
here last year and your excellent results since, can you just sort for
us how disappointing it is to be going out this early?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's quite disappointing, of course.
A lot of expectations from my side and all the people that are following
my career, of course, and the tennis lovers here in UK and worldwide.
But what can I do? This is just part of the sport, a
loss. I just have to take the best things out of it and use it for the
future. You know, certainly I expected to go far, because I know I have
enough quality to do so. Last year I've been performing pretty good
tennis on grass.
Finals of Queen's came up in the right moment, gave me a lot of
confidence, boost up. But, you know, it can change.
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