Sport | Tennis
I cannot calculate and I cannot experiment: Djokovic
Defending champion and world No 2 Djokovic says he gives his 100% to the game - be it any tournament
- By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:01 February 27, 2010
- Image Credit: OLIVER CLARKE/Gulf News
- Defending champion Novak Djokovic serves to Ivan Ljubicic during their match on Thursday. Djokovic says he likes to go all out in his matches for the sake of his fans.
Dubai: Defending champion Novak Djokovic believes he has no favourites when it comes to choosing tournaments: he simply loves to give cent per cent in every event he plays on the ATP Men's Tour.
"I think every tournament is an important tournament, and that's the way I accept each tournament in my professional career. Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow? So I play every match, try to play 100 per cent and try to win every match I play," Djokovic disclosed at his post-match media conference following his hard-fought win against Ivan Ljubicic late on Thursday.
A lot of discussion and debate has ensued following comments from Britain's Andy Murray who agreed that he would use a match like this to try and work a few things out on his game. Murray also admitted that he was ill-prepared coming into Dubai and the only reason he came was to avoid being penalised. "Yeah I would try to work a few things out while playing a match like this," Murray had stated on Wednesday night.
"The stuff that I was doing in the matches here are similar to what I'd be doing if I was training this week. I'd be playing practice sets and working on serve-and-volley, and coming forward," he had admitted. But, in contrast, there is no such work ethic for the world number two from Serbia.
"I cannot calculate and I cannot experiment. Of course sometimes maybe you should prioritise some bigger events. However, we are professionals and we are here to perform as best as we can," Djokovic stated.
He would go all out on every instance, the Serb stated, if not for himself, then at least for the sake of the people and the spectators who follow his career. "There are not just a lot of expectations from ourselves and our people that are surrounding us. It's just the tournament and people who come to watch us. You carry a certain responsibility when you are top five or top-10 in the world. You cannot just go out there and practice, you know, and that's my opinion," Djokovic summed.
Coming in here as one of the favourites, Djokovic proved this beyond doubt on Thursday when he clawed his way out of a tight situation to clinch a three-set thriller against Ivan Ljubicic.
"I give a hundred per cent on court, if not more," he smiled.
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