[인터뷰] 베이징 (QF~Final)
:: 10/09 QF: Novak DJKOVIC d. Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 ::
:: VIDEO : 1세트, 2세트, 3세트, 기자회견 ::
A: Of course I am happy. It is easy to be happy when you are winning. I had ups and downs in today’s match. Verdasco used these chances in the second set when he broke and started stepping and he had control over the match. Had to save energy for second set for the refreshing start of the third and I was fortunate enough to do so.
Q: You have been talking about slipping your ranking by one place this year. Andy Murray dropped out of Shanghai so you can get your ranking back up if you go to the finals.
A: I wasn’t counting that the rankings were dropping, I just mentioned that because I wanted to let the people know that even though I was playing well and consistent this year, I still dropped a rank, meaning that others were playing really well – including Andy Murray. I was surprised he pulled out from Shanghai but he had some sort of injury. That’s how tennis is, we are all quite close and we can turn around any time. It isn’t the end of the year; there is still three or four tournaments to go.
Q: In final set, it was 6-1; did you intentionally give this game to Fernando?
A: Nothing is intentional… He deserved to win this game. I was up 5-1, I was just trying to take the match.
Q: Would you comment on your titles this year?
A: I had lots of finals and semi finals but wasn’t managing to take that extra step to get a title. And then, I had four or five this year, so it was a great season and can’t say I’m disappointed, and still not the end. So far, I’ve played quite well; the only ones I missed were the ones in the grand slams, but, besides that, I must be happy with the season.
Q: Any comment on the Nadal/Safin match tonight? You have said Safin was one of your idols?
A: Yes, I loved his game and he still has a great game, obviously coming here and beating some great players. He is still showing he can play some good tennis. You cannot underestimate him against Nadal. Nadal has big quality and career behind him, but has been struggling with injuries lately so Nadal knows Safin wont be an easy one – it should be a good match. They are two really attractive players that bring a lot of charisma to the game.
:: 10/10 SF: Novak Djokovic d. Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-3 (VIDEO) ::
A: The result is not really a picture of the whole match. I ensure you it was a lot more difficult because he's a big server and hitter and was very aggressive throughout the whole match and I had to be passive for most of the time more than I usually defensive. So I was very patient and waited for chances to be given to me and use them at the right time. It worked out quite well and was another great win.
Q: You just mentioned that Soderling was very offensive. How did you manage to control your game throughout the match?
A: You always have to adjust to the player's game and I prepared for that before for that. There were no secrets between us because we played before and we were playing professional tennis for many years so we were well aware of each other's qualities. So I tried to use the advantages I had. Defensive pace and play and patience and getting as many returns as possible between the shots. That's what I did extremely well.
Q: This will be your 8th final but you are a little unlucky. Only 2 wins. What is your expectation of the final tomorrow?
A: I had a great year reached more or less all the tournaments in late stages but I just didn't manage to get that extra bit. Tomorrow I hope I will be able to perform as well as I did the rest of the week. I won against both players I played against in the last games, but its finals and unpredictable. It's finals, the last day of motivation. Everyone is trying to get everything right on the court and just win.
Q: Was enough points earned this week you will go back to No. 3 after Shanghi. What do you think?
A: I'm very pleased obviously. You know I've been No.3 for a while and Murray played well last eight months and got 2nd in the world. What makes best for me is that I deserve it. For this sport it's always best to have players switching spots at the top- makes it interesting and gives crowd something to cheer about.
Q: Obviously Rafael is the favorite to getting through to the semifinals. Would that be emotional like after Olympics some tears dropped so..
A: Yea its true we had a lot of great matches in the last 3 years and one was the Olympics last year when I had a lot of chances to win and got close. We had great matches in last three years and one was the Olympics- close to final but still bronze medal was enough for me. It's a big honor and a special achievement. But this surface here in Beijing is a bit similar to the other courts and the other equipment. As I said I feel confident and that's the way I should stay in order to win. I just have to leave because I have been winning against him. It's a matter of a good day or not.
Q: Does his retirement make you think that when you retire what do you want to achieve?
A: I don't want to talk about retirement and have it in my mind. I will have many more years to come and considering Marat tennis will miss him and his personality because he brought a lot of enthusiasm to the court. And obviously the fans love him he was No. 1, won 2 grand slams and won the Davis Cup. He had a fantastic career and should be happy about it.
:: 10/11 Finals: Novak Djokovic d. Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-6(4) ::
:: VIDEO : 1세트, 2세트, 시상식, 기자회견 ::
A: One thing is for sure. I feel very confident now, playing on Asian soil where I have had lots of success playing in the last three years. Shanghai was a big achievement for me last year when I won it. It was the last tournament of the year. I’m going to be playing in the same club, and coming to Shanghai with a big victory here in Beijing certainly gives me a lot of motivation. Now I’m just going to try to recover before the upcoming match and then all over again. I’m not going to have much time to celebrate that’s for sure.
Q: Because of the rain today, after the break you won the first set without too many difficulties. In the tiebreaker in the second set, your opponent slipped up when you had your volley. Do you think the rain helped you?
A: If it did, thanks to God. But I certainly played much better after the rain delay. Kind of got my nerves together and thought of the tactics and the plan that I should play the continuation of the match. I had to be on standby because we didn’t know how long the sprinkle was going to go on. So after that, I went in and took a while and just rested, and I was very fresh on the court after that. I returned well throughout the whole match. Even though it was a straight set win, it wasn’t easy at all. Marin could have had at least a set under his belt because he played very well throughout the whole tournament. For me, winning against a player who plays that well is a big achievement.
Q: Can you talk about how much your bigger experience made the difference today?
A: Well probably that was one of the key facts in today’s victory. I guess you are right. My patience and the choice of the certain shots and a little more experience than he has decided the winner today. Whenever I needed to step it up and play some big shots that would decide the match, that’s what I did. I wasn’t happy with the way I served out on 4-all and 5-all. What made my success in the second set even bigger is that I managed to save the concentration, to maintain the focus and get back into the match. I wasn’t trying to let it go. I was happy in the end.
Q: According to previous matches, your ability could easily overcome Cilic but what caused the difficult start for you?
A: We had a very long five games in the start of the match. I was fortunate enough not to lose the break on 2-0, and then we had this rain delay, but I wouldn’t agree with the fact that my abilities were that much stronger or bigger than his at the tournament. If you look at the matches that he played here, winning against Nadal 6-1, 6-3 must show some qualities of the player. Obviously he was on a roll, and he had nothing to lose today. He was going for the shots. I played him three times before this match, and I won all three times. We played all three times on the hard courts. I was aware of his weaknesses and strengths so I tried to use those advantages at certain moments and it worked for me.
Q: As a Serbian is there a special feeling to play against a Croatian?
A: It doesn’t make any difference to be honest if I’m playing Croatian or whoever I’m playing. He’s one of my best friends, and I have always had best relations on the Tour with Serbian and Croatian guys, so it doesn’t make any difference to me.
Q: It seems Chinese women are delighted by your charms. How do you feel about Chinese women?
A: I don’t want to talk about too much details about what do I like in Chinese women or not. Certainly it’s flattering when I hear that I have so many fans in China, and it’s been a great experience for me participating in the tournaments here in Asia and in China especially where I’ve had the most amazing presence and situations that I’ve ever faced with a fan. Last year in Shanghai I got a letter from one fan that said she was waiting for 32 hours to see me and she got a hug, and that was the best moment of her life. When somebody tells you something like that, you must be very fulfilled. It’s a pleasure for me to win the title in front of those people.
Q: Your family organized a tournament in Serbia. Maybe you know much better than other players how hard it is to organize a successful event. From the perspective of organization, how can China Open improve to be even better?
A: I don’t know if you’re going to believe me or not, but I’ve met with the president of the ATP, who came here to Beijing two days ago to meet with some people, and I told him that the Beijing Open and Shanghai Open are one of the best tournaments. And why do I say so is because all the small details that the players care about, you know, space, quality of the food, rooms, locker rooms, the hotel, the amenities of the free courts and balls, and all these things are perfect here. The people really pay a lot of attention of satisfying the players and all the people who come here as guests. As you said, I do have organization together with my family of the tournament in Belgrade, which I won this year, and it was the first time we ever organized an ATP event in the history of our country. It was very, very difficult to do it, and it’s the lowest category in of the tournaments. It’s 250, and this is 500, and Shanghai is 1000, so the higher the category goes, it’s more obligations and more things you have to do. Plus this was a combined event, which usually gives a lot more difficulties to organize it to satisfy everybody. But not just because I won the tournament now I’m happy and I’m saying ‘Wow, everything’s perfect.’ Really, I mean so.