NOVAK DJOKOVIC REFOCUSES AHEAD OF US OPEN

Written by: Staff on 24th August 2015

NOVAK DJOKOVIC REFOCUSES AHEAD OF US OPEN

epa04893540 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Alexander Dolgopolov of Ukraine during their semifinal match in the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, near Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 22 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

Novak Djokovic was one match away from becoming the first singles player to win all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, but saw his hopes dashed by Roger Federer 7-6(1) 6-3 in the Cincinnati final on Sunday. The five-time Cincinnati finalist was motivated by the prospect of making a historic first.

“Of course [having a chance at the Career Golden Masters] was playing an important role in my approach to this tournament,” said Djokovic. “This year I got to the finals, a step closer. I’m going to keep going, keep fighting to make the history. It’s a great incentive and it’s inspired me to come back and play my best tennis.”

On Sunday, Djokovic ran into a red-hot Federer, who won his seventh title in Cincinnati. The Swiss backed up his serve with strong net play and did not concede a break point.

“I think he’s more aggressive here than in any other tournament because the surface and conditions allow him to play very fast,” said Djokovic. “He generally copes well with the fast balls and a fast game. He likes this rhythm. It was right tactics for him. I knew coming into the match he was going to be aggressive. No question about it. So I tried to handle. I’ve done well until the tie-break first set; after that, he was just the better player.

“Of course it’s disappointing at this stage to reflect on the match,” added Djokovic. “I could have done some things better, but I lost to a better player, no question about it. I have to deal with it.”

With a week left before the start of 2015’s final Grand Slam, Djokovic is not entirely satisfied with the state of his game, but believes that good things are yet to come at Flushing Meadows, where he claimed the 2011 US Open title.

“The US Open is around the corner, and I have to already turn the next page,” said Djokovic. “Hopefully I can do well there. [In Cincinnati] I played a couple good matches and couple not‑so‑good matches. Still not very happy with my form and with my game, but I have a week to work on it. The conditions in New York suit me a little bit better, so I look forward to it.”

The loss on Sunday made it two final setbacks in two weeks for Djokovic, who lost to Andy Murray in the Rogers Cup final. The Serb is 56-5 on the year with an ATP World Tour-leading six titles, including four at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome).

Courtesy of the ATP and Original Link – http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/cincinnati-2015-sunday-djokovic-reaction

Topics: Atp World Tour, Cincinnati, Novak Djokovic, Sports, Tennis News, US Open

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10sBalls_com says:

August 24, 2015 at 8:50 am

-@DjokerNole REFOCUSES AHEAD OF @usopen- http://t.co/IwQUMlhhy4 #tennis #Djokovic #idemo #USOpenSeries #USOpen
dusanVemic says:

August 24, 2015 at 12:26 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: -@DjokerNole REFOCUSES AHEAD OF @usopen- http://t.co/IwQUMlhhy4 #tennis #Djokovic #idemo #USOpenSeries #USOpen