Top-ranked Novak Djokovic is still optimistic about his chances at the Roland Garros 2013 tournament which begins a week from now despite his early exits at the Madrid Masters and Rome Masters which is currently ongoing. Last week, Djokovic was eliminated by Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and this week, he fell to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals despite having served for the match in the second set. The French Open is the only Grand Slam event that Djokovic has yet to win out of the four Grand Slams and he was close to achieving the career Grand Slam last year but lost at the Paris final to Rafael Nadal.
“It’s not the result I was hoping for. On the other hand, I’m positive I will continue playing better and better as the days go by,” said Djokovic about his losses. “I will take some time off. I will try to get ready for Paris, which is the most important event of the year for me. I’m really looking forward to that. I know I can play well on clay but I shouldn’t allow myself to have drops during the match. Hopefully it won’t happen in Roland Garros.
“I believe that I can go all the way. It’s a very long tournament and two weeks. I don’t want to make any predictions. It’s not necessary. I need to take it step by step. I need to get ready and practise more, so hopefully I will be in top shape for Paris,” he added.
Djokovic compiled 11 wins in a row against Berdych. The last time the Czech beat Djokovic was at the Wimbledon semifinal in 2010. Since then, Djokovic has won their last 11 encounters, including two matches this season (Australian Open and Dubai).
“I always have high expectations for myself, so it’s not easy to lose. But you congratulate the opponent who was brave enough and took his chances. He won deservedly, so I’m moving on,” said Djokovic.
“He has been just behind the Top 4 for quite a few years. He is one of the contenders to win Grand Slam titles. He has won against the big players in Grand Slams. He won against me in the semi-finals at Wimbledon a few years ago, [beat] Roger [Federer] and pushed Andy [Murray] a few times. He’s able to play big matches. He has proven that on several occasions in the past. He is a very dangerous player on any surface with a serve like that.”
