Novak Djokovic recently said that every time he returned to a tournament he won the previous year, he would start from scratch rather than believing he is the defending champion.
In a post-match press conference on Wednesday, August 16, in Cincinnati, Djokovic weighed in on the ups and downs of being a tournament’s reigning champion. Taking a leaf out of Borna Coric’s book, the Serb expressed that while defending points can light a fire under you, it can also weigh you down from time to time.
“Yeah, there is that element of defending champion, defending 1000 points in this case. It’s a big obstacle, in a way. It’s a big challenge,” he said. “You know, sometimes you use it as a fuel, and it gives you more motivation. Sometimes it can also really wear you down and make you feel that you have too much weight on your shoulders.”
“So for someone like Borna, he lost today and he won the tournament last year. Obviously, I’m sure that he would agree, that it’s easier to find yourself in a position to, you know, go for a trophy, for a tournament, without having this role of defending it. You know what I mean?” he added.
When asked how he dealt with such pressure, the 23-time Grand Slam winner stated that he treated himself equally with other players and did not allow himself, the media, or those around him to believe he was the defending champion. Djokovic has followed this throughout his career, particularly in the latter half.
“It’s kind of also a mind game,” he said. “I really, throughout my career, particularly in the second part of my career, didn’t really allow myself nor the people or the media, when I would talk to them, I would not really allow myself to think that I’m a defending champion but to put myself really in a position that I’m equal as everyone else, so I have the same starting point. So I start from scratch every year. You know, play that tournament like I played it the first time.”
The Serbian icon further said that it boils down to the individual and it can be quite daunting for players who have not yet clinched many titles at the big tournaments.
“I guess it really just depends on the player, but it is, yeah, not an easy situation to find yourself in. Normally for players who haven’t had too many wins on that level, it’s something new. It’s a feeling that can really create that sensation of big pressure,” Djokovic said.
In his first match on American soil in nearly two years, Novak Djokovic won the first set 6-4 against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the round of 32. Due to injury, the Spaniard retired mid-match, allowing the Serb to advance to the third round of the 2023 Cincinnati Open.
Novak Djokovic is excited to be back in the USA
On Wednesday, Novak Djokovic played his first Western and Southern Open match since 2020, and his first in the US since his ban due to his stance against the COVID-19 vaccine. He could only play one set on the Center Court, where he lost his serve once and made a couple of breaks against Davidovich Fokina, who had to quit due to a back ailment.
In the press conference, Djokovic stated that it will take him some sets to rediscover his rhythm as the ball was acting differently on the Center Court as opposed to his daytime practice sessions.
“Yeah, some positives, some negatives. But in the end of the day, it’s kind of expected,” Djokovic said. “First match coming back. It will probably take a few sets for me to really get things going in a right way. Honestly, I mean, I was very surprised with how quick it is and how much ball actually flies through the air. Balls are very bouncy here, very alive.”
“You know, it wasn’t like that during the practice days during the day. So maybe, I don’t know, something, whether it’s a nice session that affects it in a certain way or whatever, but, you know, it’s also quite difficult to control the ball here, I think, in center court. I don’t know how it is on the other match courts,” he added.
He will next face Gael Monfils, who defeated this year’s Canadian Open finalist Alex de Minaur in the first round 7-5, 6-4.
