“I am always fighting until the last shot,” Novak Djokovic gives an insight into his elite mentality to defend championship points
Novak Djokovic was able to beat Sebastain Korda in the final of the 2023 Adelaide International 1 tournament even after losing the first set, talks volumes about his skill and ability.
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Novak Djokovic with Adelaide International 1 trophy (Image Credit: ATP Tour)
Novak Djokovic added another title and trophy to his already bursting trophy cabinet over the course of the first week of the 2023 season. He won the 2023 Adelaide International 1 men’s singles title. He defeated Sebastian Korda 6(8)-7(10), 7(7)-6(3), 6-4 in an emotionally charged final.
This is his 92nd singles ATP title of his career. With this triumph, he equaled Rafael Nadal‘s record for most ATP singles titles in his career. Now, only Roger Federer has more ATP singles titles than him.
After the victory, naturally, the Serbs were ecstatic. During the post-match conference, he interacted with the media and answered their questions. About his win, he was particularly candid. American broadcaster Tennis TV shared an excerpt of the video on social media.
“Statistically, I’ve been lucky to win more of these kinds of matches. And of course, the more you win these particular matches…, the better you feel …And I think…I think it gets into the heads of your opponents more as well. So, that’s what I want. I want them to know that regardless of the scoreline, I am always there, I am always fighting until the last shot and that I’m able to turn things around… So, of course, going into the court with anybody knowing that they know as well what I’m capable of is of course an advantage,” he said.
Novak Djokovic has now his eyes all set to win his career’s tenth Australian Open title.
Views of Novak Djokovic’s opponents about him
Over the span of almost 20 years, Novak Djokovic played against numerous opponents. And most of his opponents have a fair impression of him.
After losing the final, Sebastian Korda acknowledged the greatness of the 7-time Wimbledon champion.
“Yeah, very close. Unfortunate, but that’s why he’s so good. Take a lot of positives from it. Yeah, I mean, throughout the match, you kind of look over and you kind of feel like you’re dreaming. I’ve watched him play on TV basically all my life. It was an unbelievable experience for me. It was very close, but I’ll take a lot of great things from it like I always do and move forward,” he said.
Alex Molcan has had the opportunity to play against Novak Djokovic twice in his career. Although, he could never win, the Serb has left a lasting impression on him.
“Coming up against Djokovic showed me that it’s not about playing very fast or trying to be extremely aggressive. It plays out in the head. Looks like Novak is playing chess. It was a really amazing experience, I learned a lot, I saw how I could maybe play certain moves, how he thinks. The experience was incredible, it was a good school for me”, he had said in conversation with an ATP podcast.
Stefanos Tsitsipas consider Novak Djokovic an ‘inspiring figure‘.
“He’s the most consistent. A perfectionist who took tennis to another level. His diet, his physical work, his elasticity and his professionalism in each of the areas. I think there’s not a single thing he neglects. I personally feel very inspired. I feel that there are many of these things that I can put into my tennis and increase knowledge around my game,” he had said in an interview given last year.
The season has only just started. However, this victory must have sounded like alarm bells for Novak Djokovic’s competitors.
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Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)