Novak Djokovic: “THERE’S DEFINITELY A GAP”

Written by: on 5th May 2013
Monte Carlo Masters Tennis Tournament
Novak Djokovic: "THERE'S DEFINITELY A GAP"

epa03671712 Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns to Rafael Nadal of Spain during their final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tournament in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, 21 April 2013. EPA/GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO  |

(Original Story: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/05/19/Madrid-Djokovic-Preview.aspx)

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic believes a difference in mental strength plays a pivotal role in separating the Big Four from the rest of the competition on the ATP World Tour. When Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal are all in action at the same tournament, one of the four has gone on to win the past 26 tournaments they’ve played dating back to Rome 2010.

 

“There is definitely a gap. The four players are the ones who are winning all the Grand Slams and major tournaments,” said Djokovic. “Men’s tennis is in a very high level; competition is getting stronger. But we cannot count out all the other players outside of the [Big] Four. Players like Ferrer, Berdych and Tsonga. These kind of players have shown in the past that they’re able to win against the [Big] Four.

 

“That’s why men’s tennis is now very interesting. I guess the experience that we have playing on a top level and winning that many major titles helps us get that necessary confidence and also I guess emotional stability in some crucial moments during the match.”

 

Djokovic is coming off his first triumph at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, where he overcame a right ankle injury sustained during the Davis Cup to dethrone eight-time defending champion Nadal. The Serb is optimistic about the progress his ankle has made ahead of his Mutua Madrid Open campaign.

 

“It’s better every day,” Djokovic said. “I’ve been doing a lot of work from the end of Monte-Carlo tournament till now in order to obviously get ready for Madrid. It’s a very big tournament that I like to play. Hopefully on Tuesday or Wednesday, whenever I play, it’s going to be perfectly fine.”

 

The top seed could meet Grigor Dimitrov in his Madrid opener, should the Bulgarian get past wild card Javier Marti.

 

“He has the capacity to play in a very, very high level because he’s very talented. He’s an all round player and he showed it,” said Djokovic. “With his style of the game, you think that he can play his best on the hard courts and the faster courts, but he showed in Monte-Carlo when he pushed Nadal to three sets, he can play equally well on clay.

 

“There is an altitude here of 500 [to] 600 meters, which helps the servers and more aggressive players. The ball travels through the air faster, so that can make Dimitrov very dangerous on this surface.”

 

Topics: , , , , , , ,








10sBalls Top Stories

In Case You Missed It

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA thumbnail

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA

Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Eugenie Bouchard is the winner of the 2018 Excellence Awards in the Female Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year categories.
TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE

Time to get tickets to watch! Surly you have heard about The Largest Open Tennis Event in America!
TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER

According to Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal was supposed to be back at practice on either Dec. 4 or 5. Well, better late than never!
Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife thumbnail

Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife

Española y checa ya trabajaron juntas durante el pasado Open de Estados Unidos
ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS thumbnail

ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia hits a forehand to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during her second round match at the Nature Valley International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.