Showing posts with label Indian Wells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian Wells. Show all posts

Saturday, 10 March 2012

Novak Djokovic - Indian Wells Round-up

Novak Djokovic has been the game's top player for more than a year but the Serbian is not taking his world number one ranking for granted.

Djokovic, who has clinched four of the last five grand slams and posted a remarkable win-loss record of 70-6 in 2011, is well aware that fortunes can change very quickly in the sport.

"I don't consider myself being on the top of the world, being untouchable or unbeatable," the 24-year-old told reporters on Friday while preparing for his opening match at the Indian Wells ATP tournament.

"That's out of the question. I always try to give 100 percent in every practice that I have, I always want to have the positive mindset in preparing well for every event, for every season."

Asked what had been his proudest achievement since the start of his red-hot run last year, Djokovic replied: "I'm very, very proud of my consistency, the results throughout the whole year.

"But the biggest success was Wimbledon, winning that title, winning the tournament that I always dreamed of winning, so I guess I can take that out as my proudest."

Djokovic, who outlasted Spaniard Rafa Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 7-5 in an epic final at the Australian Open in January, will be aiming for a fourth consecutive grand slam crown at the French Open in June.

Roland Garros has always been his favorite grand slam venue but he knows he will face an uphill task their on its claycourt surface in a tournament he has yet to win.

"I've had a good couple of years playing in Roland Garros, unfortunately I didn't reach the finals yet in Paris," Djokovic said. "I have played three semi-finals there, mostly against Rafa, and had some really good matches there.

"I love playing at Roland Garros, so hopefully this year I can make at least a step further."

GRAND SLAM TALK

While Djokovic accepted there would be speculation about a calendar year grand slam following his successful title defense at the Australian Open, he prefers to let others do the talking.

"The fact is that there is always pressure and always expectations for somebody who is a top player, and it's something that you can understand and expect," the Serb said. "But you have to deal with the pressure.

"You have to understand it, cherish it and accept it as a challenge, just try to take the best out of it. I need to keep my single-minded focus ... because that is the way that I can stay grounded and I can stay committed.

"For all the other speculations off the court, I cannot influence those and I understand that there will be talk."

Djokovic, who beat Nadal 4-6 6-3 6-2 in last year's final at Indian Wells on the way to a 41-0 win streak that finally ended with his French Open semi-final loss to Roger Federer, was delighted to be back.

"It's always good to be back in a place where I have done so well in the last five years, played finals and winning two titles," he said. "It's always something to look forward to because it's one of the best events that we have in the sport.

"You play against best players in the world and the conditions here are suitable to my style of the game. The courts are a little bit slower, which I like and prefer better, so I'm looking forward to this week."

Djokovic, also champion at Indian Wells in 2008, will face Kazakhstan qualifier Andrey Golubev in the second round, having been given a first-round bye.

Calling Captain Djokovic

 

Bombardier Aerospace today expanded its range to the elite tennis racquet set naming top-ranked champion Novak Djokovic as a Learjet Brand Ambassador. He joins an exclusive list of Bombardier Business Aircraft brand ambassadors including actor and pilot John Travolta, architect Frank Gehry, maestro Valery Gergiev, and classical pianist Lang Lang.

“Speed, agility, performance and efficiency are key attributes that Novak Djokovic and Learjet aircraft have in common,” said Steve Ridolfi, President, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “His passion for winning, outspoken personality and natural ability to inspire people make him an ideal ambassador for the Learjet brand.”

Ranked World No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) since July 2011, to date Novak Djokovic has won five Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008, 2011 and 2012 Australian Open, 2011 Wimbledon Championships and the 2011 US Open. In 2011, he became the sixth male player to win three Majors in a calendar year and is the youngest player to have reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events, separately and consecutively.

“Flying on Bombardier business aircraft allows me to balance my extensive travel schedule with the rigorous demands of playing on the ATP tour and all the public appearances in between,” said Mr. Djokovic. “I’ve been a Learjet fan for many years; they’re fantastic planes.”

Learjet business aircraft: With over 45 years of history marked by a multitude of performance records, Learjet aircraft are the world’s first purpose-built business jets. The creation of inventor Bill Lear, who designed the first Learjet aircraft based on a Swiss fighter-bomber, Learjet aircraft are renowned worldwide for their sleek ramp appeal and favoured by pilots for their handling characteristics and high-performance.

Since acquiring the Learjet Corporation, Bombardier has revitalized both the brand and the product line, bringing to market no less than eight new models, including the new Learjet 85 aircraft.

About Bombardier
 
A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, were $18.3 billion, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at www.bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

The Doubles is already over for Novak as the paternership with Troicki  ends with a 7-5 7-5 defeat againt the Spanish pairing of Granollers & Lopez.  Hopefully Novak will do better in the Singles :-)

Thursday, 8 March 2012

Novak Djokovic - In Indian Wells

Sorry but I have been so busy with my Maria Kirilenko interview.

Ok, Novak, what have you been up to recently.

K-Swiss held their annual "Desert Smash" and Novak once again attended.  Photos of the event are available on their Facebook page.

Novak will begin his title defence against either Golubev, who is undergoing a bit of a resurgence after an awful 2011 or Saffa De Voest.  The first scheduled Seed is another Saffa in the form of Big Kev Anderson.  The rest of Novak's quarter looks to be straightforward should Novak bring his A game to the court.

Murray, Isner & Berdych, are the seeds also in Novak's half that may pose a danger in the later rounds.

I am going to try and catch as much of the live tennis as possible, baring in mind I am UK based, so hopefully I will be able to bring you match reports/photos shortly after.

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Maria Kirilenko Interview

Remember my Press Accreditation from the Paris Masters?

Well the same website, The Tennis Times have arranged for me to conduct a 15 minute interview on Wednesday with Maria Kirilenko!!!  How fab is that?

Anyway, I need your help in writing questions for Maria to answer.  Do you have a question you would like to ask?  If so reply to this post.

Thanks

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

Novak's rose

Not sure what to make of all this. First the flirting on Twitter, now flowers!



Courtesy: Ledwix

Monday, 21 March 2011

Djokovic - Match highlights & on court interview **UPDATED**

Highlights:

Courtesy: TennisTV via ATPWorldTour

On court interview: Official Website

Novak Djokovic - Indian Wells Champion - Photos







Courtesy: Yahoo

Novak Djokovic - Indian Wells CHAMPION!!!

WOOHOO!!!!!!!

Really thought he had blown it in the 2nd set but this is the NEW Novak, this guy is a FIGHTER!!!!!

A few videos to remember the night by.



Courtesy: andresperezep



Courtesy: drkucalo1

Thursday, 17 March 2011

Novak crushes compatriot

My God how embarrassing was that match from Viktor :-(  Just utterly woeful, Novak didn't have to do anything apart from stand on the other side of the net.

Next up is Richard Gasquet (see right hand column for H2H)

One thing Novak will not be doing is the Indian Wells double, later on Team Serbia lost 6-1 7-6 to The Indo-Pak Express :-(  At least Novak has the day off ahead of the QF match.

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Djokovic - Post Match Press Conference

Courtesy: TennisConnected

N. DJOKOVIC/E. Gulbis 6-0, 6-1

Q. That was a tough match.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Is that a question? (Smiling.)

Q. I’m sure you weren’t expecting a scoreline like that. How surprised were you with it?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I was. Because to be honest, you always expect a tough one, of course. You try to take serious every opponent you have, even though you are a favorite in the match.

He’s unpredictable very much. He has a very strong serve and he has a powerful groundstrokes. But you don’t – if he’s not hitting – if he’s not patient and not hitting the right balls like today, he can, you know, he can miss a lot.

That’s what happened. I was just trying to keep the ball in the court, not doing too much, you know, just returning a lot and making him play an extra shot and changing the pace.

He was not feeling comfortable, obviously.

Q. When things are going so easily, is it a risk that you lose your focus?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, not at all. I mean, I’m very, very focused. Nowadays, I’m feeling great on the court, and I’m motivated to have more success. So I just need to keep up, and that’s what I’m trying to do.

Q. Another day I realized that you have a message on your knee which says support for Japan. Could you talk about why you did.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, we came up with this idea. I came with this idea I think two, three days ago in the first match I played.

And, yeah, this is the least I can do. You know, we have some ideas of organizing tennis events or even some other sport events in order to collect the money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami.

Obviously, you know, the images that we see are devastating and terrible, you know, and just we feel for it. We feel for the people there. Any way we can help and any way we can remind people that they are not alone, we are doing it.

So, you know, it was just a little sign of remembering the people there.

Q. Was there some problem with your left leg? I noticed it, but it was taped again under the knee and on the thigh; is that right?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, just the knee. I’m taped on the knee the last couple, last two months, let’s say, from Australia. I don’t have any major problems. It’s something — I did have a little, I can say discomfort in my knee in Australia.

You know, since then I’m just putting it for prevention only. Nothing serious.

Q. 16 wins in a row. Could you comment on that?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I cannot ask for a better start of the year. I mean, I’m just building up on that confidence and continuing to play well, and feeling up from that run that I have from Davis Cup final. I have been playing great tennis, best tennis of my life.

So I’m just trying to play better and better each match, you know, and then maintain, you know, very consistent level of performance. That’s all.

Q. Can we say that it starts from the Davis Cup finals?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, probably, yeah. I mean, last couple of months of 2010 were quite good. US Open was probably the best tournament of the year for me. And then Davis Cup, that was just great, and then, you know, from then it was uphill.

Q. You know Ana and Jelena very well. They played now 10 times. They’ve known each other since they were kids. They’re heros in the country like you are. When they play, there always seems to be a bit of tension and emotion. Can you talk about the process of just trying to go out there and play tennis when there is a little more on the line than that?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it’s never easy to play I think your countryman or countrygirl. Even though you’re denying and you’re trying to focus on what you do and you’re not thinking about who is across the net, you always have that in your subconscious that, you know, you have somebody that is your friend, somebody is from your national team, and somebody that you know well for many years.

So of course you feel a little bit more tension. In a good or bad way, that’s what I don’t know. But I know when I play Viktor, you know, of course we are very competitive and professional and our job is to play well and try to win, even though we are – you know, he’s one of my best friends, you know, on the tour and off the tour, as well.

But, you know, when you step on the court it’s all business, and that’s how you should accept it.

Q. So if you play him, assuming you play him the next day, regardless of who wins, you guys look like — let’s say you play a long and tense match, and then you have to go play doubles together. How does that go?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you know, maybe, you know, in the same day it’s a little bit uncomfortable, and, you know, you kind of — you know, if he wins he feels bad a little bit talking about that with me, or vice
versa.

So, you know, I guess – but it passes, you know. It’s just one day. Then we are still friends, of course. Regardless of what happens on the court it’s our job.

But we are especially excited about the doubles. That’s what I have to say.

Q. Is that sort of the difference in that you and Viktor are friends? And I’m not saying that Jelena and Ana hate each other, but they’re not really friends.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don’t know about that. You have to ask them. I don’t know. I’m not getting into their relationship. (Smiling.)

Yeah, I guess, you know, in the men’s tennis we are a little bit closer than in women’s tennis, yeah.

Q. So are you saying it’s a bit different with women?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, I am saying that. What do you want me to say more? (Laughter.)

Q. If you play Llodra the next round, can you talk about the challenges his style presents?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, he’s a player with a lot of variety in the game. He can play serve and volley. He’s one of the few players actually that plays serve and volley.

And with the surfaces there are today, it’s really difficult for them, you know, to play convincingly well with that style of the game, because the surfaces are quite slow. The ball bounces. And here, you know, it’s more suitable to Troicki, I think, than Llodra. We’ll see.

Anyway, he has a strong serve and he’s always up there. He’s one of the best players in the world in doubles, and he’s always top 20, top 30 in singles. He’s a very difficult player to play against.

Q. I understand your decision not to play Davis Cup, so I am sure you were following it last week, week before last.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes.

Q. India ties it 1-1, and then they go into the doubles, it’s tense. Is there a time you were saying to yourself, Oh, my God, maybe I should have gone over there?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, I was so nervous. You know, okay, we all expected a win, but I think I was trying to be on the line with the guys and all the time remind them that it’s Davis Cup, it’s unpredictable, and all these players get very much motivated in this competition to play for their country. Devvarman was in great form and Janko came back very late from the States.

So I was aware of the situation. I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. Maybe the opponent was a little bit underestimated. We could have gone either way. We could have easily lose that doubles and then pressure on Viktor, but luckily for us, we are through.

Djokovic cruises into the 4th Rd @ Indian Wells

Third seed Novak Djokovic extended his perfect record this season to 14-0 by pulverising Ernests Gulbis 6-0 6-1 in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters.

- 0
Seemingly in a rush to reach his third consecutive final this year, the Australian Open champion broke an error-prone Gulbis three times in the opening set and twice in the second to steamroll to victory in just under an hour.

The stands surrounding the showpiece stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden were barely a quarter full when Djokovic fired down his fourth ace of the day to end a heavily lopsided match.

"I am just trying to play as best as I can," world number three Djokovic said courtside after beating the Latvian for a fourth time in five meetings. "I couldn't have asked for a better start to this year.

"The last three months have been unbelievable. I'm just trying to keep this going."

Djokovic, who claimed his second grand slam crown at the Australian Open in January and his 20th ATP World Tour title at last month's Dubai championships, was in imperious form against Gulbis.

Hitting his ground-strokes crisply from behind the baseline, he swept through the first set in only 26 minutes and then broke his 31st-seeded opponent for a fourth time early in the second to tighten his grip.

When Gulbis held serve for the only time in the match to trail 1-3 after a Djokovic forehand sailed wide, the crowd erupted with cheers and whistles in a bid to give the hapless Latvian a lift.

However Djokovic, champion here as a 20-year-old in 2008, again broke Gulbis in the seventh game before serving out to seal the win.

"You always expect a hard fight," the Serb said of his 22-year-old opponent, a gifted player who has yet to realise his rich potential. "He has very powerful groundstrokes and a strong serve.

"Today he made so many unforced errors, he made my life easy."

Courtesy: Eurosport & JustDjoker

Novak/Troicki into the QF

Novak & Viktor are into the next round in the Doubles.  They have just won their lastest match 6-2 4-6 10-7 against Kubot & Marach.

WooHoo!!!

Monday, 14 March 2011

Novak meets Sampras - Photos

Please note these photos are from 2010.  Novak got to meet his childhood idol, Pistol Pete. Here are a few photos


Courtesy: Facebook

Novak Djokovic - Rd 2 press conference

Courtesy: Tennis Connected

N. DJOKOVIC/A. Golubev

6-0, 6-4

Q. Talk about the match. Seemed like you were pretty much in control most of the match?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes. It was great start of the tournament, you know. With those first matches you don’t know what to expect.

I mean, I’ve played great at the start of the season, obviously, with winning streak of, you know, 12 matches. But still, you know, I haven’t played a match for around two weeks. I really tested myself today, because I had Golubev, who is coming up from a big Davis Cup wins, and he’s a very good player.

He showed that in the second set. He started hitting the ball from the baseline really hard. But, you know, I was in the control most of the match. I am really happy with the way I was playing. I want to keep on moving.

Q. When do you plan on joining your teammates again for the Davis Cup?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, for the next one most likely, you know. We’re playing quarterfinals against Sweden away, you know, a very, very tough one.

If we want to win that match, we will have to have the best team, you know, the team that won Davis Cup last year.

Q. How do you like this court, the surface?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: The ball bounces very high, you know. The ball get a little too big, fluffy, you know, and it’s quite slow, especially during the night.

But I like it, you know. The speed of the surface can compare to the one in Australia, for example, so it’s quite suitable to my game.

Q. In baseball, when a hitter is on a real hot streak he says the ball looks real big to him. Is it the same way in tennis? Does it look like the ball is…

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Like a watermelon.

Q. Like it’s sitting up there for you to hit it?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, if you can say so, I guess. Confidence is it’s crucial. It’s very important thing to have, you know, in this individual sport. If you’re on the run, you know, you don’t want to mess up. You don’t want to stumble. You just want to keep on going and hold the momentum, so this is what I’m trying to do.

Q. You have been confident at different points in your career. It comes up and down, but it seems like now you’ve hit a point where you’ve been able to sustain the confidence. Is that something that is just something you practiced or that you can feel you’re keeping it up there, or is it just happening naturally?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I think it’s years of experience playing on the tour. You kind of expect that with the time you will gain more experience that is necessary for you to, you know, use in the important tournaments, important matches, and to stay calm, to stay confident, to know what to do in what moments.

I guess that’s the situation that I’m facing right now. I did have a feeling of winning a Grand Slam in 2008, and I won Indian Wells 2008. I had a great first couple months of the year.

But then, you know, I had some, you know, openinground losses: Miami, Wimbledon. So I was still young, you know, and inexperienced. I kind of was confused, and I didn’t know how to react in those situations.

But now it’s quite different. I have a great team of people that, you know, is obviously responsible for their own, everybody for their own parts of, you know, of my career.

You know, we are very compact together, and we’re working well.

Q. Who has been the hardest audience to play in front of?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: The hardest? That’s a tricky question. I don’t know. I remember only the good ones. I remember obviously the Davis Cup, you know, in front of my people. It’s, you know, the best feeling you can experience on the tennis court, 20,000 people supporting you all the way through, you and your team.

You know, I had some really great support here in the States, I had some in France, as well as in Italy and China, you know. So anywhere you go, you try to, you know, to get the crowd on your side. It’s really important.

You’re alone on the court, and, you know, in those moments it is really welcomed to have the support.

Q. Where would you place Australia?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: And Australia. I’m sorry for forgetting. (Smiling.) They’re gonna say, Oh, he doesn’t like Australia. No, of course. I won two Grand Slams there. That says enough, you know.

Q. What’s up with your brothers’ careers these days?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, the older one, Marko, he started to play really good. He’s around 600 in the world, but, you know, he struggles with injuries a lot. You know, the last three years it’s been really a difficult time for him to maintain good health and good physical condition.

He’s been more, you know, out of tournaments than playing tournaments, so it’s really hard for him now to see in which direction he wants to go. He’s still 19 years old, and he has maybe still a chance to go to college. But he’ll it’s his decision, you know, to work this out. He’ll try another six months or ten months and then see, he will see how it goes.

And the youngest one, he’s in Bollettieri’s now; he’s in Florida. He’s practicing hard. He’s very talented, and actually Stepanek was just telling me a couple days ago that he practiced him with him and he’s a copy/paste of my forehand.

Yeah, I mean, I’m really happy to see my brothers, especially the younger one, doing well now, you know, in the tennis. Because it’s not easy for them. They’re still not matured enough to be able to you know, they’re facing these really difficult mental struggles all the time and practicing in front of 20, 30 people, because, you know, they’re carrying the burden of Djokovic, you know, family.

For them it’s not really the best situation you can ask for, but it makes them stronger, you know. They are really fighting. They understand that they have to fight their own way through and hopefully they will.

Q. you ever talk to Patrick McEnroe about that? He came up under the shadow of John.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, I haven’t spoken to him. It’s a good idea .

Q. Just getting back to the match tonight, if you had to tweet what you thought about the match, what would you say?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: That’s a good question. I don’t tweet usually about matches and practices and things like that. I tweet only about some pictures and crazy adventures that we had.

So I don’t know. You got me there. I don’t know what I would say. A hot first set. (Smiling.)

Q. You were with adidas and you moved on to Sergio Tacchini. Obviously you probably help them out designing your outfits. Are you going to continue doing that, bringing that hot flame and the dragon style out again? I thought that was really cool.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, it was. And the owner actually of Tacchini the last few years is a Chinese private businessman, so the dragons have had symbolics, because it’s a holy, very respected animal back in China.

So I did have my own part in designing the clothes, but the last, if I can say touch, is from, you know, designers there. They’re doing their job.

But I like it, you know. Tacchini always has been famous for very nice but conservative clothes. You know, now since I signed with them for last two years, we have been mixing it up with some colors, and, you know, I like that one.

Djokovic - Last few games v Golubev - Rd 2 @ Indian Wells

Courtesy: NadalCuriosities

Please note the commentary is in Spanish

Post match interview after the impressive win over Golubev in Round 2.



Courtesy: ATP

Djokovic - HEAD Q&A Part 2

Novak has answered some more questions here