[인터뷰] 로마

:: 4월 30일 3라운드, N. DJOKOVIC/T. Robredo 6-1, 6-1

Q. It was pretty comprehensive. How did you feel out there today?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I felt quite good. I had a day off yesterday, which helped me to recover from the late-night second round and just get some more practice. I didn't get a lot of rhythm in that first match.
You know, it all went in my advantage, and I used it today. I was in the control of the match. I think I played quite patient, but then when I needed to step it up I did.
I was quite strange because Tommy was making a lot of unforced errors, so he didn't put a lot of pressure on me.

Q. Was it easier than you expected then?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, yeah, I can say that.

Q. Is there any coincidence in the fact that since we started talking to you about the No. 3 race you seem to have clicked into gear and found your game?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Look, I have been playing really well in the last two or three months regardless who is in front and who is behind me.
I just focus on my game, and I've been playing really well. Let's see if I can keep it up.

Q. It's a very long season, the clay court season. Is there a time in it when you think, I've done enough and got my game where I want it to be and I can afford to have a little bit of a relaxation period, or do you have to have a good level all the time?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, there is a not a lot of room for relaxation, especially if you are competing with a players like Federer, Nadal, you know, who are reaching the final stages of each event they're playing.
You have to be focused all the time and you have to perform your best and try to get in the final stages as well in order to stay in the top rankings-wise, points-wise, whatever.
I've been playing at least semifinals of each event I've participated in on this surface last year, so, you know, I think I'm playing better than I did last year.
I'm moving much better on clay, so hopefully I can get the results out of that.

Q. And how hard is that, to keep up and maintain a very high, consistent level all the time?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: In life, a lot of things are hard, you know. I think it's certainly not easy, but this is something that you must do in order to, you know, stay at the top of the men's tennis, and that is what I want.

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:: 5월 1일 준준결승, N. DJOKOVIC/J. Del Potro 6-3, 6-4 (Video)

Q. You hit 20 winners today in two sets. Do you feel you're timing and seeing the ball particularly well at this moment?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, I feel quite confident playing here. Each match I play, I feel more comfortable moving the court and just playing my style of the game.
Today I've tried to, you know, change the pace a lot, because I know that Del Potro likes more or less same pace, and he's moving really well for his height.
But still, I knew that I have to, you know, move him, left/right, try to be patient, and go for the little longer rallies and a little more spin into the balls.
That's what I did. I think I've played well. It's a good win for me. I'm ready for next challenge.

Q. Yesterday you said you are playing better this year than last year. What are you doing better this year?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, physically I think I'm stronger, and I'm combining this patience with the aggressivity in the certain moments. It's really important on clay to be confident in yourself, that you can play a lot of long rallies and be patient, but yet again, have big weapons to finish of the points.
So that's what I did. The serve is going up and down a little bit. I think I need to work a little bit more on that. It's just -- I think momentum it's going to be okay.

Q. Could you comment on your changes to your fitness routine over the last week. I know you switched fitness coaches as well. Is that a result of the match in Australia earlier in the year?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: What about the result of the Australian?

Q. I don't know if conditioning was a factor in Melbourne. I know you were trying to make adjustments before Roland Garros.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I've been working with my ex-fitness coach for two and a half years. I changed because I felt that I need a change and something new to improve on.
The walkover in Australia was something else. It was extreme conditions. It was some scheduling problem, as well. So it has nothing to do with my decision to change the coach, particularly that match.
I've been thinking about that for the last five, six months. Hopefully the new change is going to be better.

Q. Did you watch any of the first set of Federer?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No.

Q. What do you expect? He seems to be winning at the moment. What do you expect for a new match with him?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I look forward to it. I expect him to win, so it's going to be great for the people and great for the tournament to see that kind of semifinal. It's a challenge for both of us.
I think we played two times on clay only, and he won both of the times in Monte-Carlo. Well, I think I have good chances, you know. I have been playing really well lately, so let's see what happens.

Q. How you play on clay changes tactically the match?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, sure. Sure. It's a slower surface. But still, here it's quite fast. I think both of us, we like it. He likes a little faster clay as well, so it's going to be interesting.

Q. Is it easier in a way to play Federer than Nadal on clay? I don't say easier, but you can understand what I mean.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, well, look, nothing is easy I can say, but certainly the toughest opponent on this surface is Nadal. There's no question about it.
But still, Roger has been playing really well on this surface. He's been playing two, three, French Open finals and winning Hamburg and getting to the final stages of each clay court event in last four, five years. He's certainly, behind Nadal, the best player that plays on this surface.
I think I've been improving, so as I said, I have good chances.

Q. Does it make any difference to be the champion of the tournament when you go back the next year? Does it feel any different, or you completely more or less forget?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, first of all, it's great to come back in the place where you defend your title. I mean, I feel nice. You feel a lot of attention. I get great support here. I'm really thankful for the crowd.
In other words, of course you have some certain pressure and responsibility. It's a bit difficult to defend a title and all these points.
I think I've been doing quite a good job until now.

End of FastScripts

:: 5월 2일 준결승, N. DJOKOVIC/R. Federer 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 (Video)

Q. How important do you think it was, that game that you played just before the rain delay, to get the momentum going for you again and then you could build on that after you came back?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, it was really important. I mean, if you look at it, obviously everybody will say that the rain, you know, helped me. It's a fact. You know, it's a fact that I played much better after the break, and that I started being more patient, moving much better, you know, giving him more balls back and making him play more.
This is what I didn't do in the end of the first and start of the second set. He could have broken me again to have a double break, and then, you know, it would be much tougher for me to come back. Here again, I think I've played in the first set even -- in the first set I played quite well. I was a little bit distracted by some things, and then suddenly a lot unforced errors resulted with a loss.

Q. What things were you distracted by in the first set?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, look, I didn't like the guy who was whistling. There were some things that were happening. But, look, it shouldn't happen in my head, you know. I should just not care about it. But it was really not nice gesture. It was second serve on breakpoint, so it wasn't really nice.

Q. Roger said that the biggest difference he feels in comparing to the past is that his serve is not working quite as well as it used to. Could you confirm that?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I think he was serving quite well throughout the first part of the match. After the rain, he had ups and downs. Well, the serve might be an issue, but I think I returned much better after the break. I gave him more balls back, and he felt obviously pressure and started serving worse.

Q. What will you draw on, do you think, from your performance against Nadal - we believe it will be Nadal - in the final from Monte-Carlo? For a long time you were his equal out there.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Look, Rafa, there's not much to talk about him, especially on clay. He's going to be absolute favorite to win it again, but I have my chances, especially after the great performance in Monte-Carlo.
I have no reason not to believe that I can win. I won a set against him in Monte-Carlo. I played really good start of the third set, and learned that I have to really play every point against him.
So that's what I'm going to try to do tomorrow. Physically to prepare, to be ready to play long rallies, because that's what happening when you play against him, and just wait for the chances.

Q. You feel much more stronger physically since Miami?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I feel quite good, yeah.

Q. You work much more, or...
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I do work, you know. I don't think it was all issue about my physical preparation, condition. It was mentally, as well, if in some period I didn't believe in my quality. I had some ups and downs with the results, but now I'm confident enough. I know that I deserve to be here, so I think it's all coming together.

Q. You also be defending the No. 3 position tomorrow. Does that give you extra pressure or motivation?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. I mean, I don't care about it, really. I mean, I've been playing really well, so I'm going to celebrate my victory tonight, because I think it's a great win for me, and then try to get the best out of tomorrow's match.

Q. What do you like tomorrow in your way to play in this tournament?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Sorry?

Q. What do you like more in your way to play during this tournament?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I didn't...

Q. What's the best thing in your play during Rome?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Oh, in my game? Well, I think my forehand was working quite well throughout the event. Serve I think would be better, and should be better, for tomorrow's match, especially, you know, if you play Rafa who gets a lot of balls back on this surface. I have to put pressure with the serve at least, you know, so I'm going to try to work on that.

Q. Again, today's match, do you think that everything depends from your game that improve after the stop, or you feel that Roger a little bit down in his game?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, look it isn't easy to remain in the same level of performance - speaking about his game. If you get more balls back and if you -- if the opponent makes you play more balls, and, you know, makes you run more, then it's, you know, normal that you're under pressure. That's why he probably made a lot more unforced errors than before the rain break.
So I think I was patient more and playing more compatible and wiser after the break, you know, more on his backhand side and trying to wait for chances. I think that was the key.

End of FastScripts

:: 5월 3일 결승, R. NADAL/N. Djokovic 7-6, 6-2 (Video)

Q. You were very close during that match many times. What made the difference at the end?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, obviously it's his patience in the certain points. When I needed to, maybe stay a little bit more patient and just play the right shots. I made some unforced errors, tiebreak, second, third point.
You know, it happens couple times already on this surface that I'm close, and in the deciding moments he just overcome the pressure better than me.
But, you know, that's why he's the best in the world in this moment. Overall, I'm really happy with the week.

Q. You say you're very happy when you succeeded to hit backhand down the line. Do you feel your backhand down the line could have been a little bit better, more efficient?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I think so. That was one of the shots that didn't really go today as well as I wanted it. He plays forehand with a lot of spin and tries to put the point out of position so he can open up the court for the next shot. He does it really successfully.
But I think I didn't move in that shot as well as I needed to, and then couple of unforced errors in the first and second set resulted with a loss.

Q. Obviously two finals on the clay. You feel you're obviously going okay building up to Roland Garros?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, that's the main goal, the aim that is most important in the clay court season. I've been playing really well in the last three Masters Series events, and I'm really happy with the shape I'm in in this moment.
So I will try to stay physically fit, because that's what I'm gonna need very much in upcoming month and a half or two months until the Wimbledon is over.
So as I said, confidence is really important in this sport, in any sport. Right now I think I have good confidence. Hopefully I can continue with the successful tournament.

Q. You were asked yesterday about the No. 3 ranking and whether or not you cared that if you lost today you would probably lose it. Do you care now that it's fixed?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, look, it happened two weeks before or after, you know. It's very close. I'm defending a lot of points, so it's no -- it's not strange that it happened. He was playing really well lately. But it's still close. I can already get it back next week. It's really up and down.

Q. Even though you don't even win a set today, do you feel closer today than in Monte-Carlo, or you were closer in Monte-Carlo?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Maybe in Monte-Carlo it was closer. Still, the ball was bouncing really high here today. Really high. I don't know, it was probably because, again, I was playing against the player who produces a lot of spin from both of the sides. Maybe that was the case.
But still, I felt that the balls were really, really high. Made my shots difficult, especially from the backhand side.

Q. The wind also?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, it was quite windy. I did have chances. I could have maybe won the first set and maybe things would look different, but, you know, we keep on going.

Q. Is there a sense that he almost makes you try too hard and perhaps try shots that you wouldn't necessarily try against somebody else?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, in the certain moments, yes. I mean, as the match started I thought, I'm gonna really work hard to get my service games, you know, because he made me work already the first game.
He didn't make a lot of service errors. You know, he had a quite high percentage of the first serves in. That wasn't case in Monte-Carlo, so I could have more pressure on him. So he was serving quite well and moving always great, like always.
Yeah, you always have to play something extra against Nadal to win, especially on this surface where he feels most comfortable.

Q. There is a new ATP tournament in Belgrade starting tomorrow. How important is that for you?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's very important obviously. As a host of the tournament as well, I feel really happy to -- for my family, for myself, and for all the players from Serbia and all the country to have the tournament first time in the history of our country. Everybody is excited. I look forward to it.
I bye first round, so I have a little more time to recover and get ready. I will try to do my best there.

Q. Nadal never asked for a wildcard, but he could still play?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: We refused him because we had some priorities.

End of FastScripts

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