His current US Open title defense is just another job for Novak Djokovic as the Serb tries to repeat as titleholder at the New York major.
Djokovic came through a three-hour-plus win over Juan Del Potro to reach a final four at Flushing Meadows with both Roger Federer (defeated) and Rafael Nadal (injured) not in the mix at all.
“It doesn’t affect much because I have already quite a lot of experience with that,” number two Djokovic said as he prepared to face Spain ‘s David Ferrer. “The first time when I defended my Grand Slam title was 2009 in Australia (which he lost). It was a difficult period for me because I faced it for the first time and pressure got the best of me.”
But Djokovic conquered his demons by backing up his 2011 Melbourne trophy with another late January when he beat Nadal in a record-setting marathon lasting nearly six hours.
“I’ve learned over the years how to deal with it and how to cope with the pressure and get better on the court, off the court, understand the game better. Now, I just try to focus on every game individually, but it definitely has a special feeling about it coming as a defending champion. It’s unique and I love it.”
©Daily Tennis News Wire
Topics: 10sballs.com, Juan Martin Del Potro, New York tennis news, Nole, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serbian tennis news, Sports