BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS
Date: 2009-11-27

BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS

November 27, 2009

Novak Djokovic
LONDON, ENGLAND
N. DJOKOVIC/R. Nadal
7-6, 6-3

The Moderator Questions, please.

Question What do you think about the Masters rules? Do you like this tournament? Is there something you don't like?
Novak Djokovic: Well, I think it's good for the players who are participating in this tournament because you have three matches guaranteed. The round robin system is something that we tried to put into the regular tournaments, but it didn't work out in the end.
But I think in Masters Cup, in World Tour Finals, it's actually good. In my situation maybe not now, because my destiny doesn't depend from myself, and didn't today. You know, but that's the way it is.

Question You can lose the first set 6-0, but you can win the two others. With this round robin, it's becoming very important to win every game. Will that make you change, or tennis is tennis?
Novak Djokovic: Well, I don't think any player should do any calculation because on the court you can't really perform your best tennis. It didn't really make any difference to me when I played in these last two years. I've tried to give maximum in every match I play.
Of course, maybe you would think for the players who are playing in the last day, in the night, for Soderling, who qualified already, may be better to save some energy for semifinals, because it's more important, but...
On the other hand, he's first time playing and taking part in the World Tour Finals. Every match is bringing a lot of points and a lot of prize money. So it depends how you take it. Everybody's different.
But I think each match should be played a hundred percent. Maybe the fact that every set counts and every game counts that you win puts a little bit more pressure on you. But, again, it puts a kind of pressure that makes you perform best and focus on every game you play.

Question You keep tell us you're dead tired, you cannot play anymore, but yet you keep winning. How can you do that?
Novak Djokovic: Well, I'm not saying I'm dead tired. I'm saying I'm exhausted from the season. And I think that you don't need a confirmation from my place to see that. I think it's obvious on the court that I'm not moving and I'm not that energetic as I was maybe in Paris or Basel.
I think the season that I had this year has took a toll on me a little bit on this tournament. I'm not saying that I should have done some things different. Look, in that moment, you don't think about it. You try to win every match you play. Unfortunately for me, the exhaustion came in the tournament where I should have been the freshest: here.
But, still, I managed to get two out of three wins. If I finish today the season, I will be very happy to finish in this way, and just hope to rest well for 2010.

Question You're in a very difficult position now. Obviously you have to wait and see what happens in the other match. Will you have enough time to prepare for Federer tomorrow if you learn at midnight tonight you will be playing tomorrow at 2 p.m.?
Novak Djokovic: Well, look, I will try to use the same procedure I do before each match. I will behave now as I'm playing tomorrow. And if I don't, as I said, it's absolutely deserved for Davydenko if he qualifies. He played really well. There's nothing to do there. I just have to wait and see.

Question Bearing in mind what you were saying a little earlier about the schedule you've had this year, do you intend to make any changes to your schedule next year?
Novak Djokovic: Well, this season was in particularly special for all of us because it brought more commitment tournaments. From my side, I have played very solid on most of the events I've played. I've played quarterfinals or more. It's not that maybe I've played too many tournaments. I had, next to the 18 tournaments that are counting as a ranking tournaments, a couple more aside. One of them was my hometown tournament I couldn't miss.
You know, I think in this moment there's too many obligations, too many commitments. But there's things that we have to change, but we can't change for next year. So I guess that we will have to try. From my side I will have to try to do everything I can to put priorities on events that I have to perform my best tennis in. Those are Grand Slams and 1000 events.

Question Regarding the Davis Cup final, the two top Spanish guys look out of form. Do you think the Czech Republic has a chance against Spain?
Novak Djokovic: Look, Davis Cup final is unpredictable I think, even though the home advantage is very important. Obviously, Spanish players love playing in front of their crowd on clay courts, which is going to be the surface. So they are favorites.
But still, you know, both Czech players, Berdych and Stepanek, didn't play from now, Paris. We're gonna see. I wouldn't rate Czechs as favorites because they have to go to Spain, but you never know what's gonna happen.

Question You're still tired, obviously. You're answering the questions tonight intelligently and eloquently as you normally do. That wasn't the case two days ago.
Novak Djokovic: Well, I apologize for that. But everybody has a day like this. There has been many press conferences and many matches I had this year. I just came in the wrong moment. So I apologize if I had a bad conference two days ago.

Question Accepted.
Novak Djokovic: Thank you.