Novak Djoković

[Damian]

[Bombardiero]

Novak przesyła nam swoją miłość.

[Damian]

[Damian]

Djokovic Beats Sinner On ATP Tour Return In Monte-Carlo

Spoiler:

Serbian star is now 10 matches unbeaten in 2021
World No. 1 and two-time former champion Novak Djokovic claimed a 6-4, 6-2 victory against #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner on Wednesday in a battle of generations at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. It was a meeting between the leaders of the FedEx ATP Race To Turin and the ATP Race To Milan.

In his first appearance since his ninth Australian Open title run in February, Djokovic fired 20 winners to move past the Miami runner-up in one hour and 34 minutes. Djokovic kept Sinner off balance with frequent drop shots and extracted errors with great defensive skill from the baseline.



“It feels great [to be back and] also playing in Monaco, where I reside,” said Djokovic in his post-match interview. “I have used this club as a training base for almost 15 years, so it feels like playing at home.

“It was a very good encounter. I thought it was a great first match [and] a big challenge for me. Jannik is in form. He played the final [in] Miami and has been playing well. I just hung in there today and managed to find the right shots and the right game at the right time.”

Djokovic has won all 10 matches he has played this year. This marks the sixth time that the Serbian has won his opening 10 encounters in an ATP Tour season.

Djokovic’s Best ATP Tour Season Starts

Year Unbeaten Start Duration
2011 41-0 Australian Open-Roland Garros QF
2020 26-0 ATP Cup-US Open R32
2013 17-0 Australian Open-Indian Wells QF
2016 14-0 Doha-Dubai R16
2012 10-0 Australian Open-Dubai QF
2021 10-0 ATP Cup-Present
Djokovic is chasing his third title at the Monte-Carlo Country Club this year. The 36-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist defeated Rafael Nadal en route to the title in 2013 and 2015.

“[Jannik] has got a lot of talent and he has proven that he is the future of our sport. Actually, he is already the present of our sport [having] played a final [in an] ATP Masters 1000 [event] already. He is making big strides in professional tennis,” said Djokovic.


Graphic courtesy Hawk-Eye Innovations/ATP Media

Sinner used his aggressive baseline game to rush Djokovic in the early stages of the match and claim an early break, but his lead was short lived. The top seed soon found his range on his return and forced Sinner out of backhand-to-backhand rallies with a series of drop shots. Despite dropping serve once more at 5-3, Djokovic broke for the third time to take the 54-minute opener.

The two-time champion found consistent success behind his serve in the second set and wore his opponent down in extended rallies. Djokovic earned two further service breaks and moved through to the third round when Sinner committed a double fault on match point.


After his win against the Miami runner-up, Djokovic will face Murray River Open champion Daniel Evans in the third round. The British No. 1 broke Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz on four occasions to clinch a 6-4, 6-1 win on Court des Princes. Evans entered the tournament seeking his first tour-level win on clay since the 2017 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

Casper Ruud earned his second Top 10 victory on Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman. The Norwegian converted three of his four break points to overcome last year’s Rome runner-up in 65 minutes.

The 22-year-old will meet Marbella champion Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round. The Spaniard improved to 6-0 on clay this season with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Karen Khachanov. Ruud and Carreno Busta are tied at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... -wednesday

[Damian]

Djokovic Sings Sinner's Praises; Looks Ahead To Evans Clash

Spoiler:

The World No. 1 plays Dan Evans next
Novak Djokovic eased into the Round of 16 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-2 win over fast-rising youngster Jannik Sinner.

It was the first career meeting between the two, though they are familiar with each other having shared a practice court both at their residence in Monaco and at the Piatti Tennis Center in Italy.

“I think what impresses me the most is his professionalism, his dedication to the everyday routines that he has to endure in order to play at such high level,” Djokovic said. “I think this is why the consistency of his results is there. With him it's different.”

You May Also Like: Djokovic Beats Sinner On ATP Tour Return In Monte-Carlo

Sinner came into his fourth career Masters 1000 appearance in sizzling form after reaching the final at the Miami Open presented by Itau, making him a real threat to Djokovic’s start to the clay season. But after an early loss of serve, Djokovic was in control for most of the match.

“I have to be satisfied considering I think I had a tough draw for the first round, playing Sinner, who is in form, who is striking the ball very well. I knew it was going to be a challenge. I walked into the court with the right intensity, right focus,” Djokovic said. “First maybe three, four games I was still feeling maybe not as comfortable hitting the ball. Then I started to work my way in the match.”

Even with no fans permitted on the grounds, Djokovic celebrated the win with his customary open-armed hugs and kisses.

"At the same time I try to take the positive side of it," he said of playing to empty stands. "We have this calm and kind of serenity on the stands and on the court. It just allows you to maybe focus on yourself a bit more, not have maybe as many distractions around that can happen. I try to focus on those positives and be optimistic and build my form."

The 33-year-old takes on Daniel Evans next for a place in the Masters 1000 quarter-finals — it will be the second match in a row where the World No 1 is facing an entirely new opponent. He'll be doing his homework.

“Very smart player,” Djokovic said. “You would think that with his game maybe the clay would suit him the least, but he's proving people wrong. He moves great. Very, very dynamic, explosive player. Great forehand, good serve. He comes to the net. He uses his slice very well.

“Obviously every time you face someone for the first time, probably I'm going to have to use a little bit more analysis of his game prior to tomorrow's match, talk to few people and my coach as well, try to prepare myself as best as I can.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... -wednesday

[Damian]

[Damian]

Djokovic: 'He Dismantled My Game'

Spoiler:

The World No. 1 was upset by Dan Evans in Monte-Carlo on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic was bundled out of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday by Daniel Evans, 6-4, 7-5. Coming to press just minutes after the match was complete, the World No. 1 was quick to congratulate his opponent while being candid about his performance.

“To be honest, this has been probably one of the worst matches and performances from my side I can recall in the last years,” Djokovic said. “I don't want to take anything away from his win, but from my side, I just felt awful on the court overall. Just nothing worked. It's one of those days.”

In his first meeting against Djokovic, the 30-year-old Brit came armed with a barrage of slices and hot shots. The upset ends Djokovic’s perfect 10-0 start to 2021 and puts Evans into his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

“Should have and could have done much, much better. Just [an] awful performance," Djokovic said. I can't take anything positive away from this match."

You May Also Like: Evans Upsets Djokovic In Monte Carlo

The Serbian had looked strong in his opening win against Jannik Sinner, but came to the court on Thursday a different player.

“Today was completely the opposite of what I felt yesterday,” the 33-year-old said. “Just was obviously very, very windy, tough to play in these kind of conditions against a guy like Evans who makes you move. He's very unpredictable with his shots. He dismantled my game.”


Evans will next take on David Goffin after the Belgian upset fifth seed Alexander Zverev. Djokovic will look to regroup before returning to the court at home in Belgrade next week.

“I was just not feeling it, and playing pretty bad,” Djokovic said. “Obviously right now, as I walk off the court, I'm disappointed with the way I played, the way I felt on the court. But it's a long clay season. Still plenty of tournaments, plenty of room to improve.

“Obviously I have to work — hopefully get a better performance next week in Belgrade.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... onte-carlo

[Bombardiero]

[Damian]

[Kamileki]

[Bombardiero]

[Bombardiero]

[Damian]

Why Djokovic Is 'Very Emotional' In Belgrade

Spoiler:

The top seed will play Carballes Baena or Kwon in his opener
When Novak Djokovic last competed at an ATP Tour event in Belgrade a decade ago, he had only won two Grand Slam titles and had not yet ascended to No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Now an 18-time major winner and the record-holder for most weeks at World No. 1 in history (317), returning to his hometown to compete at this week’s Serbia Open is a special moment.

“I get very emotional when I’m playing at home, when I’m representing my country,” Djokovic said. “We had this tournament from 2009 to 2012 and I won it two out of four years and I remember these moments very profoundly. Playing in front of family, friends, my people, you don’t get to experience that [often]. I only experienced that maybe a few times in my career, to actually play in my hometown, to actually play in front of my fans, to have that kind of support and backing. It’s definitely special.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there aren’t throngs of fans following Djokovic’s every move at the Novak Tennis Center. But the two-time tournament champion is still excited to perform at home.


“I’m just trying to enjoy every second I get to be in my country with my family, my parents who I don’t get to see so much nowadays with the restrictions and traveling and so forth,” Djokovic said. “It just brings in lots of memories from the past, my upbringing, of the roots, of how I started. This club where this tournament is played is the club where I used to play a lot when I was a kid, the local tournaments.

“I get to see many people that have seen me develop into the tennis player that I am today and the person I am today. It’s a very particular, very unique feeling that I’m trying to marvel in and feed off that energy so I can do the best I possibly can this week.”

Five of the eight singles seeds are from Serbia, and eight players from the home country began in the main draw.

“I’m really glad to see that the draw is packed with Serbian players, all the best men’s Serbian tennis players are here in this draw,” Djokovic said. “There are going to definitely be some match-ups between us, hopefully I’ll be able to play [in the] quarters against one of the guys.”

You May Also Like: Scouting Report: Djokovic & Nadal Lead The Way In Belgrade & Barcelona
Djokovic, who will open against Roberto Carballes Baena or Soonwoo Kwon, could face eighth seed Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarter-finals. Ninth seed Laslo Djere is also in his half of the draw.

“We’re all friends, we have respect for each other, we like each other, we support each other and we give each other backing. We want each other to do well on the Tour,” Djokovic said. “We come from the same country and we obviously have very good relationships on and off the court. But once you’re facing each other, you just see opposite your side of the net an opponent, a rival you want to beat and that’s what it comes down to.”

How To Watch

Last week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Djokovic lost his first match of the season against Daniel Evans. Stefanos Tsitsipas went on to claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title.

“I think it’s a positive thing for our sport to actually have new champions, new faces, new brands really that are going to be recognised by tennis fans around the world, that are going to be celebrated. Obviously they will compare them to us and to maybe the results that we historically made, I understand that,” Djokovic said. “But I don’t mind seeing new winners. Of course I would like always to be on the winning side myself everywhere I play, but things are different.

Djokovic admitted that some of the younger stars on the ATP Tour are showing they can compete against the world’s best, and that the Serbian along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will “have to accept the fact that maybe we will not be in the top ranking spots of the world and some other guys will replace us there and that’s a normal cycle of life”.

“We’re still hanging in there, we’re still trying to compete with these young guys who are strong, they are playing well, they are very motivated,” Djokovic said. “I think so far we’ve been doing pretty well.”

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

[Bombardiero]

[Damian]

Is Novak Djokovic The Luka Doncic Of The ATP Tour?

Spoiler:

The World No. 1 enjoys off-court fun in Belgrade
Is Novak Djokovic the Luka Doncic of the ATP Tour?

The World No. 1 showed off his basketball skills in Belgrade before the start of the Serbia Open, displaying his touch around the rim as well as a crisp jumpshot.

“Nothing but the net!” the Serbian exclaimed. “Iso! Iso! Amazing. On fire. Luka Doncic against Nikola Jokic here.”

The Serbian was referencing two NBA superstars; Doncic plays for the Dallas Mavericks and Jokic is on the Denver Nuggets.

Several stars recently picked their ATP basketball starting five in Miami, but nobody selected Djokovic. Perhaps they will rethink their choices after seeing the World No. 1's talent.


Alexander Zverev's Team
Alexander Zverev
Nick Kyrgios
Gael Monfils
Christopher Eubanks
John Isner

Diego Schwartzman's Team
Diego Schwartzman
Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal
Reilly Opelka
John Isner

You May Also Like: Kyrgios Picks His ATP Basketball Team
Felix Auger-Aliassime's Team
Nick Kyrgios
Tommy Paul
Gael Monfils
Alexander Zverev
John Isner

Andrey Rublev's Team
Nick Kyrgios
Gael Monfils
Jack Sock
Alexander Zverev
Reilly Opelka

Stefanos Tsitsipas' Team
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Nick Kyrgios
Gael Monfils
Christopher Eubanks
Reilly Opelka

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... grade-2021

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Djokovic 'Pretty Flawless' In Belgrade Opener

Spoiler:

The World No. 1 will next face fellow Serbian Kecmanovic
Novak Djokovic shrugged off the disappointment of a third-round exit in Monte-Carlo with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win against Soonwoo Kwon on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Serbia Open.

The World No. 1 was sharp from the first game of the match, showing no residue from his loss against Daniel Evans last week. The home favourite broke the South Korean's serve five times to advance after 68 minutes.

"I thought I played very well from the very beginning, except that service game that I lost at 5-2 in the second [set]. I thought it was a pretty flawless performance," Djokovic said. "I moved well, I was mixing up the pace quite well, making him play. I served well in the important moments, [and] overall I just felt great."

How To Watch


During his pre-tournament press conference on Monday, Djokovic spoke about the importance of competing in his hometown. There was last an ATP Tour event here in 2012.

The Serbian, who won this tournament in two of his three appearances (2009 and 2011), made it clear with his performance against Kwon that he is the strong favourite to claim a third trophy in Belgrade. The 18-time Grand Slam champion was especially pleased to play well in front of family and friends.

"It gives you an extra push, an extra motivation, energy to really give your best and leave it all out on the court," Djokovic said. "I think also that made me feel comfortable and confident on the court and I played really good. I’m really pleased with the quality of tennis."

This was the pair's first ATP Head2Head meeting, and Djokovic, who is now 11-1 on the season, immediately put pressure on the World No. 85 by breaking serve in his first return game.

Kwon showed his fighting spirit and aggressive baseline game, but Djokovic had an answer for almost anything the 23-year-old tried. The Serbian got another early break in the second set, at 1-1, sprinting forward for a drop shot and finding an acute angle for a winner.


Although the South Korean earned his first break point at 2-5 in the second set — and converted it — it was far too late, as the top seed broke in the next game to seal his victory.

Djokovic will next play countryman Miomir Kecmanovic, who battled past French qualifier Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 earlier in the day. The 21-year-old was pleased to get through.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... -wednesday

[Damian]

Trouble For Djokovic & Nadal? Novak Says 'I'm Not Too Concerned'

Spoiler:

The World No. 1 is pursuing his third Belgrade title this week
At the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who have won a combined 13 titles at the tournament, were both upset early. In his Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell opener on Wednesday, Nadal lost a set against World No. 111 Ilya Ivashka.

Is there trouble brewing for two of tennis’ all-time greats? Djokovic isn’t concerned.

“We probably made a lot of people think that we can play perfect tennis every single week for the rest of our lives, but that’s not possible,” Djokovic said, cracking a laugh. “I don’t think there is anything strange, it’s just a bad week, [if] our opponents have a very good day, they win a tennis match. It’s as simple as that.”

You May Also Like: Djokovic 'Pretty Flawless' In Belgrade Opener
If anything, the Serbian has been impressed by some of the young stars rising up the FedEx ATP Rankings. That is giving the Big Three of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer even more motivation to push themselves.

“I think Rafa, myself, Roger have been very successful and dominant in the past 15 years or more and you have a new generation of tennis players coming up and we have to adapt ourselves,” Djokovic admitted. “We have to understand how to improve, how to get better, how to adjust our game to this new group of players that are challenging us for the top spots of the world and for the biggest trophies in the world.”

Djokovic bounced back from his third-round loss in Monte-Carlo with an impressive straight-sets victory on Wednesday against Soonwoo Kwon to reach the Serbia Open quarter-finals in his hometown of Belgrade. Although Nadal had a tougher time with Ivashka, Djokovic was quick to compliment his great rival.

“I’m not too concerned, especially when it comes to Rafa on clay. I don’t think one or two matches or two weeks is going to change the way he plays on clay or for the upcoming tournaments,” Djokovic said. “But obviously it’s interesting for our sport to see us maybe losing to some new players, making things a little more interesting for tennis fans. Obviously we don’t want to lose, I think we both want to keep that level of performance and quality of tennis really high for as long as we possibly can.”


Stefanos Tsitsipas is one of the young players who has installed himself near the top of the sport. Last week, the Greek claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo.

After his victory in the Principality, Tsitsipas credited breathing exercises as part of the reason for his success. Djokovic uses various forms of meditation, too.

“It has been one of the focal points of my everyday life, not just preparation for the tennis matches and practices. I have incorporated those aspects into my daily routines because they make me feel good,” Djokovic said. “As professional athletes in a very dynamic sport, we’re constantly active and we have to have high doses of energy on the court and a really high level of focus for those couple of hours or even more.

“So I think with today’s technology and everything that is happening and all the distractions that we have and the amount of information, we probably don’t pay too much attention and importance to mindfulness and to just relax and sit back and breathe and try to recharge and rejuvenate.”

Djokovic will continue his pursuit of a third Belgrade title against countryman Miomir Kecmanovic on Friday.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... y-reaction

[Damian]

Up Close & Personal With Novak Djokovic In Belgrade

Spoiler:

The top seed will play Kecmanovic in the quarter-finals on Friday

From basketball star to actor, Novak Djokovic is playing plenty of roles beyond the tennis court at this week’s Serbia Open.

The World No. 1 is having a blast at the ATP 250 being held in his hometown of Belgrade where his brother, Djordje Djokovic, is the tournament director. Novak has been spotted multiple times on the basketball court at the Novak Tennis Center, where he has showed a crisp jumpshot and touch around the rim.

Djokovic’s other brother, Marko Djokovic, wanted to test his hand as a videographer, and Novak was a willing subject. The 18-time Grand Slam winner did some exercises just for his brother.

Watch Djokovic's Behind The Scenes Clips:


Two-time Belgrade champion Djokovic has been all-business on the court. Djokovic defeated Soonwoo Kwon 6-1, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals, in which the top seed will play countryman Miomir Kecmanovic.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... grade-2021