Novak Djoković

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Novak trenuje w Paryżu.

[Damian]

With Nadal Looming, Djokovic Focusing On 'One Day At A Time'

Spoiler:

Serbian hopes to hit peak form later in the tournament
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic says that he is “in a good state of mind and body” in his bid to capture a second Roland Garros crown.

“The win in Belgrade gave me great preparation,” the 34-year-old said. “I’m in a good state of mind and body, striking the ball well. Now it’s really about just taking it step by step, being in the present moment [and] trying to build the form so I can play better and better as the tournament progresses.”

The Serbian superstar came into the clay-court Grand Slam on the back of beating Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday in the Belgrade Open final. He has a 20-3 record on the season, including his 18th major crown in February with his ninth Australian Open title.

Follow Live Scores At RolandGarros.com

Djokovic has been placed in the same quarter of the draw as Roger Federer, who opened his Roland Garros campaign with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Denis Istomin on Monday in Paris. The 2016 titlist could face Rafael Nadal, the 13-time champion, in the semi-finals.

“When you speak about Rafa, you know that he's always going to give you his best on any surface,” said Djokovic, who leads Nadal 29-28 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. “He's always going to produce some great quality tennis, particularly on clay. That's his most preferred surface. That's where he's always at his best.

“Record-wise [in the] past four or five matches that I lost to him on clay, some close ones, some that he dominated, was probably due to the level of tennis that I played. just wasn't meeting his level, when his level on clay is always there, always very high."

You May Also Like: Nadal Fights Past Djokovic For Record-Extending 10th Rome Crown
Nadal leads Djokovic 19-7 in clay-court matches, including victories in their past six matches.

“If you don't produce a high level of performance on this surface, you have no chance to win the match on this surface against him." said Djokovic. "I know there's a build-up potentially for that match-up in the semi-finals. There are a lot of obstacles to overcome for both of us. If we get there, of course I know what [is] expected [of] me and I know what I need to do.

“Last year, I had a great tournament, but in the [Roland Garros] final he was just playing amazing tennis and I couldn't do much. Hopefully, if I get a chance to play him another time here, the level of my tennis will be different because, like in Rome, for example, [it] was very close until the last shot… [The] final in Rome gives me good sensations and kind of [a] good feeling prior to potential match-up here. But I [will] try to focus [on] one day at a time. I'm sure he will do too.”

Djokovic will play his first-round match on Wednesday night from 9pm against American Tennys Sandgren.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... 21-preview

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[Damian]

[Damian]

Djokovic Shines Under The Lights, Downs Sandgren In Paris

Spoiler:

Serbian to face Cuevas next
Late in the evening in the City of Lights, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic christened the first ever men’s night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier with a victory over Tennys Sandgren on Tuesday to reach the second round at Roland Garros.

Djokovic improved to 4-0 in his ATP Head2Head against Sandgren after winning 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in their first clay-court meeting. Sandgren took a set off Djokovic in their 2018 US Open second-round clash, but the American was unable to repeat the feat in Paris as Djokovic saved all six break points he faced en route to victory.

You May Also Like: With Nadal Looming, Djokovic Focusing On 'One Day At A Time'
The 2016 champion arrived in Paris in red-hot form after lifting his 83rd Tour-level trophy at the Belgrade Open on Saturday, backing up his run to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final (l. Nadal). Djokovic owns a 21-3 record on the season, which includes a record-extending ninth Australian Open title in February, his 18th Grand Slam crown.

Djokovic wasted no time in taking the lead against Sandgren on Chatrier, which was outfitted with floodlights for the first time in 2020. The top seed’s backhand was firing as he surged ahead to an early break at 1-0, and didn’t face a break point himself as he closed out the opening set with another at 5-2.


He was in for a battle in the second set as Sandgren, who previously reached the Australian Open quarter-finals in 2018 and 2020, tried to fight his way back after going down another early break at 1-0. Djokovic faced three break points as Sandgren rushed the net, catching his opponent out with a booming passing shot to take a 0/40 lead – but Djokovic held firm to stay in control.

Djokovic kept his cool against an increasingly frustrated Sandgren, reeling off five games in a row to open up a 5-1 lead in the third set. Sandgren saved match point to extend his stay in the contest, but couldn't hold back the World No. 1 and his backhand down-the-line as Djokovic sealed the victory after an hour and 58 minutes.

Follow Live Scores At RolandGarros.com

Into the second round at Roland Garros for the 17th consecutive time, Djokovic will next face Pablo Cuevas. The Uruguayan player advanced after securing a 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 victory against Frenchman Lucas Pouille.

Did You Know?
2016 champion Djokovic is seeking his second Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy this fortnight in Paris. A victory would make him the first man in the Open Era to win every Grand Slam championship twice.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... 21-tuesday

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[Damian]

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[Damian]

Djokovic Hits 31 Winners To Beat Cuevas At Roland Garros

Spoiler:

Serbian superstar now plays Berankis
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was made to work hard on Thursday as he beat clay-court specialist Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to move into the third round and continue his quest for a first Roland Garros title since 2016.

"I'm playing well, feeling great. I'm ready to go deep in this tournament," Djokovic said. "Hopefully that's going to be the case. But I'll take it match by match, and so far the two matches that I have played have been played in a high quality."

In a first ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair, Djokovic hit 31 winners to claim victory in two hours and nine minutes. The World No. 1 has yet to drop a set in Paris and will play Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis, who beat James Duckworth of Australia 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-0. Djokovic leads World No. 93 Berankis 3-0 (8-0 in sets), having met last year at the Paris major.

Djokovic won the Belgrade Open on home soil last week (d. Molcan) and reached the final at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia (l. to Nadal) in May. The 34-year-old is now 22-3 for the season having won a record-extending ninth Australian Open title in February (d. Medvedev) to move him to 18 Grand Slam titles - just two shy of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer (both with 20).

Follow Live Scores At RolandGarros.com

Cuevas started well and struck first when Djokovic netted a forehand to move a break ahead, but the Serbian responded immediately to level at 2-2. Djokovic then raised his level, out-hitting the World No. 92 from the baseline to reel off four of the next five games in a high-quality opener that saw both players hit 10 winners.

As the second set wore on, Djokovic started to break the spirit of Cuevas. He won 100 per cent of points on his first-serve (11/11) and also converted both break points he had in the set, as errors started to leak into the 35-year-old’s game. Djokovic showcased a mixture of power and precision on his groundstrokes throughout and moved further ahead when Cuevas hit a forehand long on set point.

At the start of the third set, Djokovic demonstrated his defensive skills to great effect to gain an early break. Cuevas did produce a moment of magic in the following game, guiding a wonderful cross-court forehand past a despairing Djokovic who was rooted at the net. However, he was unable to convert either break point chance with Cuevas’ disappointment met with a Djokovic roar. The Uruguayan had two more opportunities at 2-1, but Djokovic fought well again to hold in a mammoth 13-minute game.

"I'm pleased with the performance today, particularly against a very good player, a specialist on clay, someone I have never faced before. [He] has got a lot of spin," Djokovic said. "[He hits] just a very difficult ball to handle in these kind of conditions when it's a bit warmer... These balls during the day are bouncing really high."

Cuevas, who beat Lucas Pouille in the first round in Paris, reached the semi-finals as a qualifier at the recent Gonet Geneva Open (l. to Shapovalov).

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... 1-thursday

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[Damian]

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[Damian]

Djokovic At The Races At Roland Garros

Spoiler:

Serbian star sets up clash against Musetti
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic cruised through to the Roland Garros fourth round on Saturday as he continued his quest for a 19th Grand Slam championship.

Djokovic produced a high-level of tennis right from the start of his 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania in one hour and 32 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The 34-year-old is now through to the Last 16 in Paris for a record 12th consecutive year — breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer (11 each between 2005-2016). Djokovic will next challenge 19-year-old #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who came through his first five-setter over compatriot Marco Cecchinato earlier in the day.

You May Also Like: Musetti Wins First Five-Setter, Extends Paris Stay
“We [have] never faced each other, but we did practise this season on this surface, a couple of times in Monte-Carlo, and other tournaments,” said Djokovic, looking ahead to his meeting against Musetti. “I really like how he plays.

“He's got a lot of firepower from both [his] forehand and backhand. He can play with a lot of spin. He's got great feel [and] comes to the net. He can play short balls, drop shots. He can flatten out his serve. He can open up with a good kick and slice. He's really got [an] all-around game.

“He is a big challenge to me. So there is no question I have to go out playing [at] a high level, because he will not have much to lose. I'm sure he's going to come out and really try to play [the] tennis of his life one of the two big courts.”

Follow Live Scores At RolandGarros.com

The Serbian superstar, who lifted the 2016 Roland Garros trophy, improved to a 23-3 match record in 2021. He struck 30 winners and lost just five of his first-service points (37/42) for his fourth straight ATP Head2Head win over Berankis.

Djokovic won 20 of the first 28 points and it wasn't until 23 minutes of play that Berankis held serve. Djokovic struck his 11th winner to complete the opener, then showcased great flexibility in the fifth game of the second set for another service break.

Djokovic, who is in Federer's quarter of the draw, won five straight games from 5-4 up in the second set and came within one point of a 5-0 lead in the third set, but the Serbian over-hit a forehand.

So far this season, Djokovic has captured his ninth Australian Open crown (d. Medvedev) in February and last week clinched the 83rd title of his career at the Belgrade Open (d. Molcan). He also finished runner-up at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome (l. to Nadal).

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... 1-saturday

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