Novak Djokovic: 'I don't believe in stagnation'
Novak Djokovic goes top seeded in Tel Aviv's ATP 250 event. Ahead of the tournament, the Serb spoke about the difficulties in tournament planning caused by COVID-19, his biggest rivals and the personal keys to success.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Sep 27, 2022, 07:03 pm
Novak Djokovic has had to improvise so far in 2022. There is no other explanation for the fact that the 21-time Grand Slam winner is heading to Tel Aviv in this phase of the season to serve at an ATP 250 event there. Of course he associates a lot of positive things with the city and the country, Djokovic explained in a press conference before the start of the tournament, but the event was very attractive for the Serb, especially due to the situation in the calendar.
After Djokovic missed the North American swing, he and his team thought long and hard about planning the tournament: "I've already confirmed for the Laver Cup and I like chaining together three or four weeks of tournaments, which is why Tel Aviv is in a perfect week was for me," said the Serb, who will go to work at the ATP 250 event.
Emotionally not an easy phase for Djokovic
Overall, however, this difficult phase in terms of tournament planning did not leave Djokovic untouched, as he explained: "Unfortunately I missed two Grand Slams this year, these are the tournaments in which I want to show my best tennis, which for me in this phase count the most in my career," explained Djokovic. "But it wasn't that difficult for me to keep in shape physically and mentally. Emotionally it was much more difficult because I had to face circumstances I've never faced before."
His body, on the other hand, was quite grateful to get some rest from the otherwise busy schedule. Although this attitude has changed recently, as the 35-year-old explained: "For the last few years I've prioritized time with my family and tried to balance things. I've tried to choose the tournaments, the swings of the year, where I want to be there and where I want to show my best tennis," said Djokovic.
Djokovic gives the all-clear
The big disadvantage, according to Djokovic, is that you miss the really competitive matches in your legs: "The more matches you play, the more comfortable you feel in them. My last match - apart from the Laver Cup - was more than three ago Months," said the Serb, who can give the all-clear, at least with regard to the wrist problems that seemed to affect Djokovic in London: "I trained for two hours today and it was okay. I feel good, I'm glad that the mini- injury is behind me now."
However, the man from Belgrade has come to terms with the fact that the 21-time major winner could continue to miss tournaments due to the lack of a COVID-19 vaccination, as it seems: "It's never easy to play the matches in one To see Grand Slam when you know you prepared and would have been ready to play there. But it's a situation that I have to accept because I've made a decision and I have to accept the consequences."
Nadal's biggest rival
When asked who the biggest rivals in the current game are for the 35-year-old, Djokovic emphasized again: "My biggest rival is Rafael Nadal, without a doubt. We played more matches than any other rivalry in the history of tennis", so Djokovic, who also emphasizes that with Carlos Alcaraz a new, big rival is coming up. And in order to continue to keep them at a distance, the Serb explained which keys had led to success in his career.
"There isn't one key to success. It's a combination of factors that are part of your character that reveal this big picture of success. I've been constantly changing and reinventing myself," said the Serb. "I don't believe in stagnation. There is either regression or progression and I try to be on the side of progression," said Djokovic.