In detail, what he said at the press conference:
For defeat: “”I don’t think there is any reason to be affected by today’s defeat. It’s a step forward. I’m looking forward to scoring more points during this season, bringing bigger results, fighting for bigger trophies. I really enjoy the way I play, my attitude on the court, my mental stability, my concentration levels. There are still a few things to add to my overall game structure. I couldn’t be more excited to be headed down this path. I did everything possible to put up a good fight against him. My team is working great to give me the best way I can approach this, especially today. There’s nothing I haven’t used to my advantage. There is nothing I could have done more for today. I did everything possible.
You know, Novak is a player who pushes you to your limits. I don’t see this as a curse. I don’t see it as something annoying. This is very good for the sport, to have competitors like him, to have champions like him. He is very important to us who want to reach his level one day. Getting dusted is definitely a very good lesson every time. It has made me a much better player. He has made my concentration levels higher and higher every time I play him. You have to be really involved and you have to be committed to the game when you play against him. I think it’s a very important part of my career, to have a player like him who will help me develop better and do bigger things, talking about my game.”
For the next day: “I don’t think about the fight anymore. I’m just happy to be in another Grand Slam final. Of course, I dreamed of the trophy, of lifting that trophy. I even dreamed about it last night, I saw it in my sleep. The desire is really there. I really really want it. But just dreaming about it won’t make it come true. You must act. You have to do something out there. You have to be even more present and do better. Today I felt there were moments when I was close, but in the tiebreak it didn’t show. Just bad principles. So I’ll delete it, take the good stuff, go from there.
It’s a long season. It’s a grueling season. I need to be physically ready for the tough matches I will have to play this year against the best players in the world. I’m just looking ahead. I look forward and not back. Losing finals isn’t the best feeling in the world, for sure. Maybe sometimes, let’s say, it’s easier to accept a loss in the semi-final because you’re not dealing with the spotlight of the final. Today was my chance to become No. 1 in the world. I had a better opponent on the other side of the net who did things much better than me.
Right now he deserves this position. What I can say is that I’ve been on tour for a few years now, I have a lot of different experiences, I have a lot of different things that I deal with. It’s time for me to aim for something like this. I see no reason to lower my expectations or goals. I am a born champion. I feel it in my blood. I can feel it like the competitive kid I was when I was young. It’s something that’s inside of me. I want to bring it out, make it flourish, make it even stronger, work hard for these goals. It’s that beautiful number, the number ‘1’, that will make things very exciting when I get there.”
Because Novak Djokovic reached 22 Grand Slams: “The numbers speak for themselves. He’s 22, isn’t he? We have other great champions like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer also, in my opinion, one of the best our sport has ever seen. But not just our sport, sports in general. I think we are blessed to have three great champions like them. I don’t want to give him the full credit because I think there are other players who have contributed a lot and are the main reason I’m still here today. Novak is one of them. I’ve seen him since I was a kid. I really liked the way he did things on the court with his game. But, yes, I definitely meant it. He has earned it with so much dedication, with so much professionalism in his daily life. It’s a wake up call for me to do the same. I can only learn from it. I can only use it to my advantage. I am blessed to have the opportunity to do this. In today’s world with social media, all the information you can get, it’s actually the best time to play tennis.”
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
