Novak Djokovic - Changing Of The Guard

Friday August 19 will last long in the memory of tennis fans as a turning point for the new guard in tennis.

It is now undeniable that Roger Federer is slowing down. Besides a brief resurgence in August 2010 and another at Roland Garros this season, Roger has not been able to find his best form.

It is also obvious that Rafael Nadal has struggled since the start of the season, losing five consecutive matches to Novak Djokovic.

The Serbian, who was crowned number one in the world in July, has had an outstanding season thus far and is without a doubt the dominating force on the Tour. However the events of Friday magnified all of the above.

Nadal's loss to Mardy Fish

Fish showed how much he has improved and once again how difficult it can be to beat the Americans on their own soil - they are so pumped up when playing at home.
The Spaniard failed to produce his best tennis, seeming hesitant, lacking accuracy, playing too short and unable to find his striking quality in order to push back his opponent.

I've always thought, and wrote, that Nadal plays his best tennis when he has victories under his belt and is feeling confident. Rafa's confidence is his most valuable weapon, and it can multiply the quality and efficiency of his shots tenfold, as he showed during the last French Open where he started out like an average player and finished like a champion.

He is going through a rough time at the moment - probably the toughest of his career - as Djokovic has destroyed the confidence that he spent so many years building. More than losing five consecutive finals, more than taking his throne, he showed the world that Rafa was beatable - that he has flaws and that he can be tactically inept on occasion.

Federer's loss to Tomas Berdych

The Czech is enjoying a good time of it, playing a stereotypical but efficient game while the Swiss has lost a lot of his speed, and with it his main weapon: he now finds it difficult to run around his backhand in order to fire off his lethal forehands.

As a consequence, he has also lost his ability to jump forward in order to take the ball early. He is no longer able to dominate from the baseline when opponents try to move him around.

However at Roland Garros, he showed that he could still play some of his best tennis - the tennis of the past. This makes me think that he can no longer deal with the pressure: in Paris, all the eyes were on Nadal and Djokovic. Relieved from pressure, he was able play freely and so proved that he is still able to beat the best.

Federer needs to find a balance between levels of pressure and confidence so that he can perform at his very best. He has lost confidence through defeats and is under more pressure than he has ever felt before. If he can relieve himself of this pressure, Federer will become dangerous again.

Djokovic's win over Gael Monfils

Firstly, we must applaud the Serbian - even if the tennis he produced was not something you would expect of a world number one. The power he currently holds at the peak of world tennis grows with every loss that his two rivals suffer.

He has destroyed the mindset of two of the greatest champions the game has ever seen. That is partly why Friday was the most poignant symbol of his reign; but also because he himself suffered a downturn while winning.

In terms of quality of tennis, the start of his match against Gael was pretty bad; but what also seemed to be lacking was his attitude. The Serbian wasn't ready to fight. Only mistakes and poor errors of judgement from the Frenchman allowed Djokovic back into the match.

It is not easy to beat the unbeatable one. Mentally, it requires a huge amount of strength, and Gael could not find it on the day. It's a pity because this may have been a unique chance: he could have gained a lot of confidence from a win over the briefly fragile Serbian.

Regardless, Nole will continue to write history, and now alone - amid the crisis he is inflicting upon his closest rivals.

Courtesy: Yahoo

Novak Djokovic - SF Press Transcript

N. DJOKOVIC/T. Berdych
7-5 (ret.)


THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk about your matchup with Andy tomorrow. You guys played the final here a couple years ago and he beat you there.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Uh-huh.

Q. What do you have to do really well?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, the finals is quite early tomorrow, so I guess physically we need to get good recovery today to get fit for tomorrow.
Then, you know, who gets the better start of the match I think has a slight advantage.

Q. How surprised were you by Berdych?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I wasn't because I knew. We know what's going on. I knew before. We have a similar issue there but he has more serious, so it's unfortunate. You know, I hope he recovers well for US Open.
But, look, usually these things happen due to the tough schedule and every day playing under tough conditions.

Q. He seemed to be playing pretty well. Was his serve not as strong as usual or was it close today?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I mean, he served okay first four, five service games, and then you could see that his arm is getting tired, I guess.

Q. How do you feel physically right now?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, to be honest, not 100% definitely, but I'm getting out there and trying to give my best to win every match I play on. I know that I've felt better last week.
But, look, I'm in another final. It's a great achievement. Tomorrow I'll try to get another title.

Q. What's the problem specifically?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Um, just you know, exhaustion. A little bit ever everything.

Q. Maria was asked yesterday about your Head promo where you imitated her. She said it's on like Donkey Kong. How did you choose it imitate Maria of all people for that?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Because we have the same racquet company that represents us, so we kind of have done it there. I didn't know what was the whole concept, but we improvised in the end.

Q. No script?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You know what, we'll take this to another level. We'll see. She has been answering on my imitations, so we'll see in New York. We'll get some more.

Q. You've been playing a lot of tennis in the last couple weeks. Having a short match like this can only help you tomorrow, right? Gives you more time to rest?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, sure. Considering the amount of the matches that I've played the whole year and especially last couple weeks, everything I've been through, it's great to have a short match today, short set, and get ready for tomorrow.

Q. For you, what's the most gratifying thing about this season that you've had to this point? Is it the level of consistency? Is it any of the slams?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Just, you know, the will to win, motivation that keeps me going every day. I mean, that's something that really is really positive in my year so far.
To be honest, I didn't know what to expect after the run that I had up to Wimbledon and after Wimbledon. Even before that, you know, everybody was talking when this streak will end and things like that, which is, you know, kind of expected when you're winning that much.
But I wasn't paying attention on that. I was trying to stay committed. That's something that really makes me happy. It's very encouraging for me to be able to have this mental toughness I guess to overcome all these things and still perform well.

Q. Halfway to a career Grand Slam. Is that an important factor for you, something to accomplish on your to-do list?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, look, I would love to. I think I have the game to play equally well on all surfaces, so this is definitely positive for the future, you know, Grand Slams to come.

Q. You've got a lot coming up obviously with the Open, but obviously a lot at stake with Davis Cup. Are you planning to play that the rest of the year?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes. The way things stand right now, yes. It's a semifinal and back home against Argentina. It's a big, big tie, you know.
Even though we won last year, but you still look for some more. You want to win more and more. It's a different feeling when you're playing for your country. You know, it's just that team spirit that keeps you going.
It's different from any other competition really. I enjoy it. I enjoy it very much just being around with the team, and then of course representing your country.

Q. Do you enjoy playing Andy?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: (Smiling.) I don't enjoy playing anybody. No, I'm kidding. I have a great rivalry with him as well. He has been struggling first couple months after Australian Open with his game, but now I think he's back. He had a couple semifinals of a Grand Slam.
This is a surface that he plays well on, I think. We played here finals, two tough sets, and he has won that. So he knows what it takes to win a big match, a big tournament. So there is no favorite tomorrow.

Q. On your black shirt you have a Serbian flag and a heart that sort of looks like a Eurovision logo.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Uh-huh.

Q. Is that something intentional? You talk about representing your country, after your tennis career would be over, would that be something that you would want to participate in?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Sure, I got offers for Eurovision and I'll consider that. Maybe I'll perform next couple years.
No, I didn't know that this heart looks like Eurovision heart, to be honest. It's just a heart with a Serbian flag. Maybe it looks like that, but there was no intention of kind of having the same one.

Q. After you won at Wimbledon, there were a bunch of Serbian supporters who were chanting and waving the flag. It almost felt like a World Cup celebration.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Uh-huh.

Q. What was that like for you to see that and realize you were winning that for yourself but to see the impact that it had on other people?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You know, it's individual sport, and I understand that it's me on the court and I win for myself in some ways, but I don't think that I win only for myself. Wherever I show up, next to my name there is Serbian flag. So that means that I represent my country, and I have to take that responsibility. Whenever I win, it's a win for Serbia.
So it's great to see that there is Serbian supporters coming and supporting in big numbers wherever we go. Now I think it's more than ever really for tennis players.
This is great to see, I mean, people coming in national colors and flags and being proud and appreciative of what you do. So to be able to share the success of course is great with them.

Q. After the Open you mentioned Davis Cup. Are you going to back off a little bit on your schedule the latter part of the year because you've played so much this year and next year you'll have so many points to defend?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Let's keep the focus on this year. I don't want to think about next one. I will see. You know, I do have my schedule set already up to the end of the year, so I'm supposed to play Davis Cup after the Open, and then I'm going to Asia.
Let's see how things go. Now I want to prioritize US Open, of course, where I want to do really well. Try to win the title tomorrow and then go slowly.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

A short post match interview from Novak. In the light of day it was the correct decision to make.



Courtesy: ATPWorldTour

Novak Djokovic - Post Final Press Conference

Courtesy: TennisHighlightsHD

Novak Djokovic - US Open Promo Video

Short promo video for the upcoming US Open.



Courtesy: ksyuzi

Novak Djokovic - QF Press Transcript

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN
August 19, 2011
Novak Djokovic
CINCINNATI, OHIO

N. DJOKOVIC/G. Monfils
3-6, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Did you feel that he started out with a lot more confidence obviously winning the first set and then dropped off as the match went on? Did you raise your level? What happened?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I think a little bit of both. I think I managed to get into his serve, and as you said, he started after serving and volleying extremely well. I never seen him volley that good. He's not a typical serve and volley player. So it was surprising to see him do that. But it worked for him.
As the match went on, you know, I started playing better on the return games and held my serve quite good.

Q. Roger and Rafa both lost today an center court. After the first set, did it ever cross your mind that you could be No. 3 in the top three going out today?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No.

Q. Your break point percentage was a little less than usual for you, especially this year. Was he doing anything different on those points? Was he serving...
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Serving well, and, you know, I had my chances first set; didn't use them. I didn't step in when I needed to in the first set. You know, he's the kind of player that doesn't give you that much chances.
But second set, in the middle of the second set, started playing better. Stepped in when I needed to. It was a very physical match in the end. He struggled I think more physically. But I hung in there, and in the end it was a good win.

Q. You were gesturing a lot on court, especially in the second and third sets. Was that tactic to get more crowd support and fire you up, too?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Look, it was a match that had a lot of tension, and it's kind of normal to have emotions shown on the court from my side. You know, the crowd was there. Crowd was in the big numbers until the end of the match, so it was nice to see that.

Q. Talk about the way you've been managing matches. You seem to be doing that very well this year.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, well, you know, the confidence that I have this year helps me a lot, so I believe that I can win any match I play on. This is, I think, something that wins matches for me, you know, that right mindset.

Q. Being the No. 1 player in the world, you've got a huge target on your back obviously. What do you have to change? Like if this was a best-of-five sets and you lost the first two sets or something, being able to come back, how do you adjust to that? You're going to get everybody's best shot.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm not changing anything. I'm winning most of the matches I'm playing. Why should I change anything? I just need to keep working hard.
And I know that the players will have nothing to lose against me in the matches, especially coming to US Open.
Look, this is the position that I always wanted to have, to be No. 1 of the world. I'm doing I think quite well of, you know, accepting the challenge that I have as No. 1 of the world.
I'm always trying to take the positives out of it, you know. I don't want to be worrying if the player will play his best and I won't be able to, you know, hold on with the pressure and everything.
No, really, every time I step on the court it's the same thing, even before I become No. 1.

Q. Midway through the third set, Gaël started talking quite loudly to himself. It almost looked like he was in a trance. I know you're locked in and whatnot, but did you notice that?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I did notice. Look, it's his own thing that he's doing on the court, encouraging himself.
I tried to hold my concentration, and I did well.

Q. You have a really good record against Berdych, 6-1. What's the key for to you continue the roll you're on?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Against Berdych? I guess I hope I will be fresh tomorrow on the court. That's something I wish to have, just freshness.
And it's a very fast court where he plays really well this tournament. He won today against Federer quite comfortably. He was hitting the ball extremely well.
He will be aggressive, I'm sure, but, you know, it's another big match. It's a semifinals.

Q. When you beat Roger at the Australian Open this year, he was asked, Is it kind of a change in generations of tennis? What's your opinion now? Do you think your time has come now, your generation?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I don't think that Roger's time has past. I think he's still out there fighting, he's still playing great tennis, and I'm sure he is motivated now to come back to the No. 1 of the world, even though he's losing more matches than he usually does.
And you have Rafa still out there playing finals of all the tournaments. We played so many finals this year. Then it's Murray and Fish who's doing really well.
So I think next to Roger and Rafa and myself, there are more players coming up and being confident on the court. You know, we didn't get to see that maybe in the last couple of years.
Now players believe they can win against top players.

Q. You're 56 and 1 this year, I think. Do you have a sense of how special and unique that is?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It is great, but I don't have the right I guess perception of the things that are going on with the run that I have, because I don't try think about it too much.
I try to really keep the simple focus that I always have in my routine. I leave the stats it somebody else. (Smiling.)

Q. This was the most entertaining match today by far. Even though it was such a big fight for you, were you able to enjoy it as well? Was there some fun in the match?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, sure. I mean, the victory is even bigger when you win a match like this. You know, you just feel proud of yourself, of the effort that you put into if you win an almost three-hour match.
It's great. Of course you would like to do your job as quick as possible. Still, sometimes it's very nice to be a part of great matches like this.

Q. You mentioned Gaël's come to the net a lot was bothering you a little bit. Mardy Fish took you to three sets coming also to the net a lot. Is this still one of the few things that's still bothering you tactically from your opponents?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I wouldn't necessarily say it's bothering me, but there are players who are trying to mix up the game. It's working for them for a while until I find a way to read their tactics.
I think I was doing great in finding the way to win tonight, and against Mardy, even though both matches were quite close.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Novak Djokovic - SF Press Interviews - Videos

Courtesy: ATPWorldTour



Courtesy: CincyProTennis

Novak Djokovic - Going For Super 6 Masters Title

MASON, Ohio (Reuters) - World number one Novak Djokovic looks to make it an unprecedented six out of six in Masters series titles when he takes on Britain's Andy Murray in the final of the Cincinnati Open on Sunday but both players say their bodies are feeling the strain.

Djokovic, who has a 57-1 record this season, has already claimed nine tournaments in what has been a remarkable year of dominance in the sport and he is the clear favorite for the U.S. Open, starting in New York on August 29.

The Serb booked his place in the final with a victory over the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych, when his opponent had to retire with a shoulder injury having lost the first set to Djokovic 7-5.

Despite only spending 52 minutes on court, Djokovic, who has some shoulder problems of his own, said that he was not in peak condition ahead of the final.

"To be honest, I am definitely not 100 percent but I'm getting out there and trying to give my best to win every match I play on. I know that I felt better last week.

"But I'm in another final. It's a great achievement. Tomorrow (Sunday) I'll try to get another title.

"I hope it's not going to be too hot and let's hope for another good match. We have a good rivalry, same age, same generation and it's nice to play him in a final again."

Murray beat American Mardy Fish in his semi-final on Saturday but said he was hampered by fitness problems

"I was struggling physically. That's frustrating for me, because that's something I haven't struggled with for quite a long time," said the Scot.

The pair met in the final of the Australian Open in January with Djokovic winning in straight sets and the Serb came out on top again in the Rome semi-finals four months later.

But Djokovic also recalled that Murray beat him here in the 2008 final - one of seven Masters triumphs for Murray.

"This is a surface that he plays well on, I think," said Djokovic.

"We played here in the final and had two tough sets and he won that. So he knows what it takes to win a big match, a big tournament. There is no favorite."

Murray, who has yet to win a grand slam, is under no illusions though about the size of the task facing him.

"I'll need to play well to get it tomorrow, but it's the perfect test to see exactly where my game is before the U.S. Open because he's the number one in the world just now," he said.

Courtesy: Reuters

Novak Djokovic - US Open Kit

Courtesy: Tennis Connected

The Nadal v Djokovic Rivalry

Courtesy: Bleacher Report via Tennishound 

I've been watching tennis for a very long time and I can't help but to note an important turn of events that I've observed this year. It's something that would help make clear as to what has been happening to Nadal as the season has gone by.

Novak Djokovic!! What an amazing year he is having. Probably the best ever by any player in the open era, of course only up until now. He's still got a lot more to do until he can come close to the standard set in 2006 by the legendary Roger Federer. Starting with the Australian Open, this guy has been dominating the game like none other, bar Federer. He's won two Grand Slams and a total of nine ATP titles.

One common thread in almost all of his titles here has been Rafael Nadal.

They first played in the final in the Masters at Indian Wells. Needless to say, Djokovic won. Sure, nothing surprising there, as he had already won the Australian Open. And then, they met again, this time at the finals in Miami. Once again, Djokovic came out on top. I believe this result occurred when Nadal began having doubts about his game against Djokovic. It started the slide for Nadal. Djokovic was slowly getting into his head.

Now, enter clay season. Nadal's beloved time of the year. Surely, no one would be able to take him here, even Djokovic, is what people might have felt at this point. Djokovic did not play in Monte Carlo, and Nadal most likely breathed a sigh of relief at this point, and sure enough went on to claim this title for the 7th consecutive time. In came Novak. After a comfortable title at home in Belgrade, he returned as a bigger threat than ever on clay.

In the finals of Madrid, he comfortably beat Nadal in straight sets. Sure, by now Nadal had a bigger problem. He had lost three times in a row now. He just had to get back somehow, and there was no better place than at Rome, which had a much more slower surface than Madrid. Additionally, Nadal was a five time champion here. But, the script unfolded in pretty much the same fashion. Nadal lost again. On Clay twice!!

I believe this was the turning point for Nadal this year. He completely lost belief in himself when playing Djokovic, who by this time had gotten into his head completely. In the French Open, Nadal escaped. Had Federer not beaten Djokovic in the semi-final, Djokovic would have been the holder of Roland Garros by now, and Nadal would've been destroyed had he lost playing Djokovic. In the final, Nadal happily took apart Federer, like he almost always does.

But, we all knew, Djokovic was not going to run away.

It was Wimbledon time and the legendary 16 time Grand Slam champion lost in the QFs. We all knew, Djokovic versus Nadal was sure to happen. Not only did it happen, Djokovic even beat him and picked up another Grand Slam. Nadal was beaten five times in a row, by the same man. Never before had that happened to him.

I guess we all can now see that Nadal has been on a downslide ever since, as was the case in Montreal and at Cincinnati, losing pretty convincingly. All of this comes down to him losing self-belief and I don't see him defending his US Open title either.

Watching all five of those matches, I must say that Nadal did not even try changing his tactics in any of them. He kept moon balling the way he does against everyone else, but it just does not work against Djokovic. He's too good a player, especially on the backhand side, probably the best in the game at the moment. He's quick, returns great and has an excellent forehand too and is mentally the toughest player at the moment. Nadal does not have many effective weapons to hit him with. 

There has to be a change of tactics, maybe a stronger serve or a different variety, or else the same depressing script would continue for him. I just hope we don't see Nadal fade away very soon. 

Read more Tennis news on BleacherReport.com

Novak Djokovic - Into The Semi Final

Final game



Courtesy: TennisHighlightsHD

Press Conference



Courtesy: CincyProTennis

Match Reports

MASON, Ohio -- Gael Monfils did to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic what no man had done since the French Open - win an opening set against him - but it wasn't enough to derail the Serbian's bid for the Western & Southern Open semifinals....Full Story here

Novak Djokovic - 3rd Rd Press Conference Transcript

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 18, 2011

Novak Djokovic

CINCINNATI, OHIO

N. DJOKOVIC/R. Stepanek
6-3, 6-3


THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You really engaged the crowd near the end there, and they gave you a warm reception. If you do that, I think that would suit your game going forward, especially in New York?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, it's been very slow kind of ugly match to play and to watch, so I think we needed to engage the crowd a little bit towards the end.

Q. Now that you're further into the week, is anything different?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm in another quarterfinal. (Laughter.)

Q. You were broken a couple times quickly yesterday, and again a few more times today. It's part of the game, but it seems like it's happening a little bit more than recently.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, it's happening more often, which is not great. Look, if I can compensate the good performance, compensate the bad serve with the good strokes, with the baseline play, it's important.
I will try to focus on positives that I have this tournament, and that is return, good forehand from the baseline, and just keeping the ball in play and playing as much as I need to to win.

Q. When your serve is not working, you're saying you focus more on returning better than fixing your serve?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you know, there are periods of the match where I serve okay, and then periods where I serve very bad. But that's okay. It all happens.
I played so many matches, and they caught up to me a little bit. It's expected that some part of my game is not working 100%, you know.
But, you know, I believe that tomorrow the serve will be better. It's important to have the right mindset and positive attitude. I don't think that my rhythm is bad, it's just that, okay, a little bit my toss and I'm out of balance on my serve and I'm forcing it a little bit too much.
Maybe I should go a little bit for percentage rather than speed.

Q. When you play every day and go from one tournament to another, do you get days like today where it's a bit of a grind and you're a bit tired?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, there are days like this where you don't feel like playing. But I hate losing, so I need to win. That's what makes me motivated on the court.

Q. You went through a period earlier where you got up to a point where there was only Nadal, maybe Federer in front of you, and they were the main challenges you had to beat. Can you talk about how you approached that to focus on beating them, taking that next step? And how did it affect you?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I didn't focus on them. I focused on myself and improving my game and getting mentally stronger and believing in my qualities and ability and just maturing as a person of the court as well, knowing how to deal with pressure, expectations, and things that are part of our sport.
I think that's something that worked well for me in the past 12 months. I mean, results are showing that.

Q. Speaking of Nadal, he had a three and a half hour, three-straight tiebreak match today. Does that give you any kind of insight to what it might be like if you play him here or at the US Open if you meet up in the final again?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's still very early to talk about it. He had a great match today, but I need to focus on my next opponent. That's my only concern.

Q. Did you have any problems with a turnaround from last night to this afternoon?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. I think the weather today was quite okay. It was not that hot, and we played actually at the nice time of the day.

Q. As the world's top player, would you have any advice to offer to kids that might want to be tennis players or just an athlete in general?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, sport is a very healthy way of living. Sport can offer a lot of good things to the kids. You know, sport can teach you how to be determined, be professional in the life, and know how to appreciate things.
You know, even though tennis is individual sport, you still get to travel a lot and be with people, meet different cultures, different countries.
So I would definitely suggest tennis to kids.

Q. What is your usual preparation next week, the week before the US Open. Will you be in New York?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I will be in New York. I will be taking some time off after this tournament and then preparing.

Q. Are there additional demands on your schedule since you've had this extra level of success?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Depends. In terms of...

Q. More demands from tournaments to show up?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, there is a lot of requests, but, you know, it's important to organize your schedule the way that it doesn't hurt your tennis, doesn't hurt your preparation.
My priority is to get ready for the US Open, prepare well, practice. And whenever I have some free time, I will be, you know, open for some other demands.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports