Australian Open Monday, 22 February 2021 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Novak Djokovic Press Conference pandemic. I mean, a lot of suffering, a lot of sacrifice. At N. DJOKOVIC/D. Medvedev the beginning we didn't feel so welcome, judging by what media was writing about tennis players and being here. 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 I think when you draw a line in the end of the day, I think CRAIG TILEY: I'd like to propose a toast to Novak, who it was a very successful tournament for Tennis Australia, as you all see again tonight, exemplary performance. I for Australian Open, for Australian country. We all wish remember back in 2008, you christened and transformed to experience more of the tournaments like this in our tennis courts. That was your first year winning. I schedule. It's going to be highly unlikely that we will see remember that experience. It was a special moment. crowds anywhere else except here. Maybe few other places. But the way it looks like, it's going to keep going From then to now, nine Australian Opens. Congrats, for some time. Novak. Thanks for the example you set to everyone else in the game, beyond just the tennis. We all appreciate it. So I'm very thankful that the Australian government and True champion. You deserve it. On behalf of everyone Australians managed to allow crowd to be on the stands. here and in the rest of the world, congratulations. We almost kind of forgotten how that feels. NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Toast to you as well, for everything So, yeah, I mean, it was very challenging for me to keep you have done, and Tennis Australia. my mind serene and keep my focus directed into what matters the most. I mean, I have put a lot of energy and CRAIG TILEY: A team effort. time, along with my team, to be here sitting with a trophy. So I'll take a lot of positives out of this month here in NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's a team effort, but I know how Australia and see what's rest of the season is going to many hours you have put into making this happen, so look like. thank you. Q. What does number nine mean to you, 18th major? CRAIG TILEY: Cheers, to Novak. And do you really not like champagne? THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. NOVAK DJOKOVIC: When you're a young tennis player, I think 99.9 percent of players, kids that get a racquet in Q. Despite the scoreline in the final, do you think their hands, start dreaming about what they want to this was the most difficult of the nine Australian achieve, it's a Grand Slam, winning a major. Open titles for you? So, of course I tried to remind myself, pinch myself, of NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Each one is different. It's hard to how important this is. Even though I have been fortunate compare. But it has been definitely emotionally the most to win many majors and play in many major finals in my challenging Grand Slams that I ever had with everything life, I do enjoy the success every single time even more that was happening, injury, off-the-court stuff, because I know that the longer the time passes, the more quarantines. It has been, least to say, a roller-coaster difficult it's going to become for me to get my hands on ride in the last four weeks. the major trophy because you have, of course, new young players coming up that are as hungry as you, Of course I'm not the only one that has experienced that, maybe even hungrier, and they're coming up and they're talking about quarantine. I can't complain. I mean, I challenging me and Roger and Rafa. They have been probably had it the best I possibly could have comparing mostly dominating the slams in the last 15 years. to the other players, some that had to stay 15, 20 days without exiting the room and training. I mean, I don't feel like I'm old or tired or anything like that. But I know that, you know, biologically and A lot of mixed emotions, as I was saying on the court, realistically things are different than they were 10 years with the media, tennis players getting here in the midst of ago for me. I have to be smarter with my schedule and 104770-1-1145 2021-02-21 13:17:00 GMT Page 1 of 5 peak at the right time. So the slams are the tournaments able to have the breakthroughs that you had at the where I want to be able to perform my best. same age? Now, after achieving the historic No. 1 for the longest NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, they have definitely the weeks at No. 1, it's going to be a relief for me because quality to reach the heights of major tournament trophies. I'm going to focus all my attention on slams mostly. I mean, they've proven that. Dominic has won it in US When you are going for No. 1 rankings, you kind of have Open. I think just Roger, Rafa and myself have to be playing the entire season and you have to be managed to always play our best tennis at slams. We playing well, you have to play all the tournaments. have the experience of knowing what to do, how we can win matches in best-of-five on different surfaces. I think My goals will adapt and will shift a little bit, which means that's made it more challenging for guys that are in the that I will have to adjust also my calendar - not have to, next generation, up-and-coming. but I will have an opportunity to do that which, as a father and a husband, I'm really looking forward to that. I mean, Dominic has contested in several Grand Slam Judging by what we're seeing around the world, having finals before he actually got a trophy, got a win. How family on the road with me will be a very difficult task, long is going to take for maybe Zverev or Tsitsipas or because if I'm going to travel around, I have to take my Medvedev to do the same? I don't know. But they seem coaches and everything, and we have rules in place that awfully close. I mean, Medvedev was definitely a guy to don't allow really more people than I think two people on beat today. I mean, 20-match winning streak. Tsitsipas, the tournaments to travel with you, other than slams. Zverev, Medvedev, they all won World Tour Finals, multiple Masters 1000 events and high ranking. They So, yeah, I'll have to wait and see how my schedule is have all contested in semis and finals of slams, so it's going to look like. I haven't made any commitment just a matter of time. But hopefully not so close. actually after Australia. I'm just trying to marvel in this success and enjoy it as much as I can. Q. You talked a little bit about the criticism. We asked Goran about it. He said it was something that Q. You've won the tournament, nothing to hide from he took pretty hard. How did you react behind the any of the players. Could you share with us the scenes? How tough was it? How did you put it injury and what you've done over the last nine days aside when you went on court? to get yourself to where you are now? NOVAK DJOKOVIC: For me, the main thing was to NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It is a tear, a muscle tear, of the really direct all my thoughts and attention and energy into abdominal oblique muscle. I felt it right away when it what matters for me the most, which is try to recover, do happened against Fritz in the third round. That's what I everything properly, stick to the routines, to the things said in the post-match interview. I was kind of guessing, that make me feel comfortable, and put myself in a best but I felt just that it's a tear because of the snap and the possible state, condition, and position to win matches. way I felt after that. That's what I've done. It's much easier said than done. I know there's been a lot of speculations, people I've invested a lot of energy, mental energy mostly, to questioning whether I'm injured, how can I recover so that. quickly, it's impossible to do that. I get it. I mean, look, everyone is entitled for their own opinion, and everybody My team that has been staying with me the last couple of has the freedom and the right to say what they want, weeks in the house, we watched tennis, but we were not criticize others. I just felt like it was a bit unfair at times. following, at least when I was with them, maybe they But, hey, it's not the first nor the last time. were following when I was not with them, the news and stuff like this, getting involved and speculating, What we have done in the past nine, ten days, you'll get discussing, having conversations between us about what a chance to see in details probably end of this year when someone said in the media or whatever.