Wimbledon - Djokovic keen to set record straight
Eurosport - Tue, 16 Jun 11:53:00 2009
Wimbledon will be an opportunity for world number four Novak Djokovic to set his Grand Slam record straight following his retirement at the Australian Open and an early exit at the French Open.
Djokovic was defending champion at the Australian Open in January when he quit midway through his quarter-final against Andy Roddick due to heat exhaustion.
His fortunes did not improve at the French Open when he was dumped out in the third round by Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Instead of being disheartened by his flop in Paris, however, the world number four said it had allowed him to find his feet on grass.
"I have had more time to prepare for Wimbledon than in the past few years because of the early exit in Roland Garros," the 22-year-old Serb during the grass-court tournament in Halle where he lost the final to Germany's Tommy Haas.
"I know that on grass I am not performing the best yet. I am slipping a lot and that happens in the first weeks (on grass). But I am sure going towards Wimbledon my movement will be okay. I want to do much better than last year."
Djokovic was beaten in the second round of the grass-court major in 2008 by Marat Safin but said he was becoming more aggressive on the surface and was adding more variety to his game, including a lethal backhand slice and drop shots.
"Grass is an exciting surface. This surface makes you aggressive," Djokovic said. "I want to improve my game going to the net (ahead of Wimbledon). I am also using my slice more. This shot can be very useful on grass."
Djokovic said apart from improving his game he was also working on his mental strength.
"That was a very bad day," he said of his defeat at the French Open. "I was very successful in the clay-court season this year and leading up to Roland Garros I had high expectations."
Before the clay-court major started, Djokovic had been the second favourite for the title behind world number one Rafael Nadal as he had turned up in Paris following runner-up finishes to the Spaniard in Masters events in Monte Carlo and Rome.
But it appeared he had peaked too soon. "I started the year the way I wanted it. Two, three months extremely successful. But on that day, it was just one of those days. I tried not to get frustrated and hang in there but I just could not," he said.
"You have to understand that I cope with a lot of pressure. It is more a mental thing because physically I do everything I can. It is just a matter of my psychology."
Djokovic showed few nerves, though, when he saved five match points in his second-round match against Frenchman Florent Serra in Halle to come back from a set down and 5-2 to win.
Djokovic said he was also unfairly criticised for pulling out midway through the fourth set of his Australian Open quarter-final against Roddick, citing heat exhaustion.
Temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in Melbourne made conditions uncomfortable but Djokovic was slammed by several top players, including Roger Federer, for pulling out because it was not the first time he had done so in a Grand Slam match.
"I think that these were really unfair comments about my condition back then," Djokovic said.
"I did not like (pulling out) and I felt very disappointed by some of my fellow players because they know the situation in the Australian Open with the extreme heat. The schedule was impossible.
"I felt bad but I take heat harder than other guys for some health reasons. I will never put tennis before my health. Never," he said. "If I feel my body gives me an alarm then I will stop."
Djokovic said after finishing late the previous night he should not have been on court the next day against Roddick.
"There was no reason not to put me in the night match. I understand TV, sponsors and all that but nobody can convince me that they are more important than the health of the athlete.
"Players are there to give a show and play their best game."
Related Stories
This site is Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
- Terms of Service
- Updated Privacy Policy
- Copyright/IP Policy
- Remarks and Suggestions
- Corporate info
- Jobs at Eurosport
Notice: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy.
Comment 21 - 40 of 40
"I did not like (pulling out) and I felt very disappointed by some of my fellow players because they know the situation in the Australian Open with the extreme heat."
Actually some of them do not. Federer for instance is "a darling of Oz Open"...he regulary plays prime evening times in here. Djokovic on other hand had to play as a defending Champion (from 08) night game (literally night one ended up something almost like 3 am)... and then within less then 48 hrs the afernoon one on +40C against Roddick.
"I did not like (pulling out) and I felt very disappointed by some of my fellow players because they know the situation in the Australian Open with the extreme heat."
Actually some of them do not. Federer for instance is "a darling of Oz Open"...he regulary plays prime evening times in here. Djokovic on other hand had to play as a defending Champion (from 08) night game (literally night one ended up something almost like 3 am)... and then within less then 48 hrs the afernoon one on +40C against Roddick.
nadal is getting weak but since im watching the wimbldon semi-finals on centre court 27th of june i will get to see him play cos he will get into the final
Tommy Haas will rule the world of tennis aftes Wimbledon. Forever Tommy!
Really ?lol.........Just heard that he is ho-oking up with a nice gi-rl on the inter-esting cl-ub called: __Tallconnect Co M__, really ? Sounds it is a famoaus on-line service.
He was lucky to get to the Halle final should have been by Serra but hes no threat to wimbledon crown.
Leave Novak alone he is a great guy.Good luck at wimbledon hope Novak in the finals.
It is sad fact that too often here persons come who do not have any connection with any sport, who cannot make difference between criticism with arguments and insulting by ugly words, they write as crude persons and turn out their chauvinism. It will be great if they stop with such practice and for the beginning to try only to support their idols and to leave in peace their opponents.
Hi Ron
I don't chat online, just deal in emails. Here is a throw-away email to contact me: bored_bobby at hot mail com
Confucius My son is Jammie C my names ron QQ 859843079 I hope to hear from you bye
Novak has tha ability to step up his game, as he proved with the claycourt season. He's just gotta do it on grass, and then he is one of the best...
Nole is right about the schedule in Aus. Open, these sponsors and directors cannot expect the players to shield the heat and play a good match.
yawn
Grass is not Novak`s favourite..
Still hope there will be some surprises like it was big time on Roland Garos ;-)
Nevertheless Novak will have to wait for hard court season I’m afraid.. Murray is defending largest quantity of points from top four; also some points will be deleted in October .. so I`m sure some turbulences again in top four are inevitable ;-)
Novak must change something in his approach.. team around him for instance, they reached their maximum long timer ago ! fresh energy for motivation is the key !
GO NOLE !!!
I keep wondering when will people realize that a game of three set and a game of five set is not the same, Murray has beaten Federer 6:2 out of the six winnings which one was a five set? In the just concluded Roland Garros Tommy Hass made a statement he said if it was a masters game he would have been considered the winner of the match he played with Federer, My friends please wake up to reality and stop blabing about Murray defeating Federer in a Grand Slam of five set, there is no way Federer knowing who Murray is will allow Murray to take the first two set of a Grand Slam he will make sure he takes the first set or the second, in grand slams of Five set there are only two people that I can tell you Federer is afraid of one among the two is a write off for now and that is Novak djokovic he beat Federer in 2008 Australian open Semi but in the return match in 2008 US open he was placed in the place where he rightly belongs the other player is Nadal, he is someone who understands Federer so well in the game of Five set, but with 14 Grand Slam and the record of winning all the Grand Slam in all the surface I don't think an unfit Nadal can stand a relaxed Federer who will be playing with nothing to loss. Reed can you paste your picture on your coloumn just as it is done in the Football coloumn I really will like to see the face of the man writing all this dumb and forsaking articles
i would just like to thank the other Serbs for not responding to ndzivovo's racism.
Ra, he reached US Open final losing against Fed.
the ideas presented in this article are not excuses, but extremely valid reasons. i know of his unnecessary quitting record, and despise that aspect of his game, but i beleive he has changed.
to clear things up, Murray is a better player than him at the moment, but Novak is a better player than Del Potro.
what a stupid thing to say that federer is not the greatest just because he didn't beat nadal in a slam... he already did beat nadal in slams and many times, twice in last three wimbledon finals ... don't be ignorant and just know tennis... nadal's rise last year does mean a lot, but federer is still the greatest, especially after RG...
Hi Jamie C, thanks and good luck to you as well. I also have a business interest in Suzhou (sleeping partner ar pres.), so may be nearer you eventually.
what's Djoker all about? he could only reach 1 grand slam final which he won after that he was 3 or 4 on the ATP rankings and he could hold that because he didnt meet Federe or Nadal only eventually in de semi-finals..so he have an advantage on oder top 10 player to stay(break) top 4.
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account