“It is always very special to play in Serbia” Novak Djokovic on playing at Belgrade Open 2021

“It is always very special to play in Serbia” Novak Djokovic on playing at Belgrade Open 2021

Novak Djokovic playing in front of home crowd in Belgrade

Novak Djokovic continues his run at the at Belgrade Open 2021 as he advances into the quarter-final in his hometown.

The top-seed at the Belgrade Open 2021, Novak had a first round bye and played the German Mats Moraing in the second round which he won in straight-sets with the scoreboard reading 6-2, 7-6 (4).

Speaking after the win, Novak said, “It was a very good start against a player I’d never faced before with a big serve and big shots.”

“He was going for some shots today that were amazing. It’s a good win, we move on, and hopefully the next match will be even better. It is always very special to play in Serbia” added Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic qualifies for his 3rd Clay quarter-finals of the season

little known facts about Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has gone from strength to strength on Clay this season and has improved at every tournament after his early exit at the Monte Carlo Masters 2021. He played at the Serbia Open 2021 next where the local boy was defeated by the in-form Russian Aslan Karatsev in a crunch 3-setter.

He went a step ahead at the Rome Masters 2021 where he was the runner-up in one of his longest match of the season against the champion Rafael Nadal with the match going for nearly 3 hours. He accepted the invitation at the Belgrade Open 2021 which was scheduled after the French Open 2021 was postponed a week ahead.

As he returns to his hometown for another tournament in less than a month, the Serbian said, “It’s quite unusual to have two tournaments so close to each other. This tournament came up as a surprise to all of us. I think the success of a nation in tennis depends a lot on the amount of tournaments that are played in that country.“

With his eyes on the French Open 2021, the only Grand Slam he is yet to win more than once even after having reached the finals 5 times, the Serbian is looking to make the best use of his week in Belgrade to gear up for the mega Clay event of the season.

“Here it’s about match play and it’s about working on certain specific details in my game that hopefully I’ll be able to tweak them and to make them perfectly tuned in Paris. It’s a two-week long event, it’s clay, it’s very demanding in every aspect. But I’m happy with the way I’ve been feeling on the court and playing, so hopefully I can go all the way there.” said Novak.

The 2021 French Open will begin from the 30th May, 2021 with the draw ceremony for the tournament set on the 27th May, 2021.

Also Read: ATP Belgrade Open 2021: Novak Djokovic vs Federico Coria – Preview, Head to Head and Prediction