google prevod s italijanskog:
https://www.ubitennis.com/blog/2022/05/10/atp-roma-djokovic-non-e-ammissibile-andare-a-dormire-alle-cinque-di-mattina-con-una-finale-da-giocare-il-giorno-dopo/
In his debut today against Aslan Karatsev Novak Djokovic starts with a convincing victory in his Roman campaign. In search of his sixth title in the capital, the Serbian intervened in the usual post-match press conference, also answering a question from the director Scanagatta. It should be emphasized that practically the entire conference (with the exception of the first question) was held in Italian, demonstrating when the world's number one likes to stay in our country.
Q (in en): If I had to describe Novak Djokovic, I would define him as…. It's a Serbian expression, it means you never give up. Do you agree?
Djokovic: "There is no English surrender for ..., I would say that if I really have to choose one it would be resilience. And yes, I think I agree with your thinking.
Q: In every game I think there is something to learn, what have you learned today?
Djokovic: “It's a good question, I think I've learned how to find a way to win and adapt to matches. After all these years of experience I know all the opponents well, especially my current one (Karatsev, ed), but when you play an official match it is always different. The emotions, the tension and the many expectations not to disappoint come into play. It is not always easy to play at the same level of training, or to put into practice all the strategy and ideas prepared before the match. In the first set I had time to find good moves, good shots and a decent position on the pitch. I didn't have much time, he is a player who plays very close to the line and pushes all the balls a lot, taking away time from his opponent. With him you must always be careful: if he doesn't make a lot of mistakes and he feels the ball well, he can be very dangerous, but today I have to admit that he has made many mistakes, allowing me some points. However, I am happy with my game, I know I can do much better but to be at the beginning I am satisfied.
Ubaldo Scanagatta, Ubitennis: You have played all your life or almost against the public, who supported Federer or Nadal. How much does it change for you to play with an audience that instead supports you?
Djokovic: "It is very important to me, I always seek the support of the public, even though it is true that during my career there have often been more matches and tournaments where I have had the public against rather than in favor. Here, however, it is one of the very few places, outside of Serbia of course, where I have always had great support. There has always been great affection and love for me. I wrote 'one of us' on the camera to make a dedication to two guys who came to see me maybe even more than ten years ago, and they always sang to me: "One of us! You're one of us! ”. I saw them again today after so many years and I decided to thank them like that. This is just one of the good stories I have with the Italian audience. There is no doubt that my feelings on the pitch change a lot, it's like having a wind in your back that pushes you and makes you play with more confidence. Every athlete in the world hopes to always have the help and support of the public ".
Q: Are you looking around to add a coach to your team? Or are you so satisfied and will you stay with Ivanisevic?
Djokovic: "For now, I'm staying with him, I'm not thinking of adding anyone". Q: Seeing you play right now it's clear that you always want to play and win, but it almost seems like you don't want to see losing as a possible part of the game. Is that so? Djokovic: “Defeat is still a reality that an athlete must accept, even if obviously I always try to win. If you want to be successful at such a high level you must always have this mindset. I don't want to go out on the pitch to have fun, I want to go to win and maybe even have fun, but I'm certainly not the only one. All tennis players in the world want to win and be number one in the world. I am used to being in a position where a lot is expected of me, but this is my choice. I always choose to continue, I am in love with this sport which fortunately still gives me many emotions, from travel to the warmth of the public. Like everything in life there are positives and negatives, but for me the positives are much more dominant ".
Q: Do you really remember the faces of all the fans? Well done! Seriously, I don't know if you heard Zverev's words after the Madrid final. Since you have always fought for everyone, I wanted to know your position, if it is a problem only in Madrid or with the calendar in general.
Djokovic: “I didn't see Zverev, but I talked to him and he said something to me. However, I agree with him, you can't finish a game at half past one or two in the morning and go to sleep at 4 or 5, plus having to play the final the next day. Among other things, he did so two or three nights in a row and it is not a suitable time, also because the next day all of this affects. Then this does not mean that Alcaraz did not deserve to win, but there would have been a different situation on the field from the point of view of energy. This is a bigger conversation however, which includes the different tournaments. Here too there are two sessions: I understand the needs of tournaments, with the need to sell more tickets. The two sessions are certainly more attractive for television, but this creates problems, especially when you go further into the tournament. We players want to talk more about these things and above all do it in time, before arriving at the tournament, when you can't change anything anymore. You can speak now for the next year for example. There is the council, the place where players can talk to the ATP. I was its president for ten years, but unfortunately you can't change much. In the end I understand the players who complain about these things in front of the press and journalists because they don't know how to change certain dynamics “.
