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CHINA OPEN


October 6, 2012


Novak Djokovic


BEIJING, CHINA

N. DJOKOVIC/F. Mayer
6‑1, 6‑4


THE MODERATOR:  Questions in Chinese, please.

Q.  First, congratulations for you to enter finals in China Open for three times consecutively.  I noticed that you used your hand to touch your back.  It seems like something goes wrong with your back when you change the side.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC:  No.
THE MODERATOR:  Questions in English.

Q.  You seemed pretty much in control obviously really easily in the first set, and then he put up a little bit of a fight in the second set, but you just seemed to like be winding him up like a YoYo and stuff like that.  Just talk about how you felt during the match.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC:  Well, got off to a good start.  Then used that rhythm in the second set, which was close, obviously, but, you know, managed to make that key crucial break at 3‑All, and then, you know, I felt more comfortable.
I served well in the second set, a little bit dropped the percentage, but generally I have been playing really well, you know, throughout the whole tournament.  Hopefully that can be the case tomorrow.

Q.  Tell me about Florian Mayer, how he played tonight.  Looked like he had a pretty good game.  You just overpowered him.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC:  Well, he's a player that has a lot of variety in his game.  I expected a lot of different pace on the court, and he stepped into my serve, you know, even when he was picking up even the first serves.
So, you know, my tactics was to try to get him into a rally and move him around the court, you know, and try to open the other side.  Done well, and, you know, so I'm focusing now on tomorrow's final.

Q.  Talk about Jo.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC:  Yeah, well, he's been cruising through the tournament except the opening round, which was close.
But then after that, he's been playing really well.  So there's no secrets between each other, between us.  I mean, we played many times, played a lot of important matches on the big stage, Grand Slams, played our first Grand Slam finals against each other in 2008 in Australian Open.
We know each other quite well.  We're also close age.  He's a very powerful player, big serve, big forehand, and if that works, he can win against anybody on any surface, to be honest.
So there is no clear favorite I think in tomorrow's match.  We have both been winning quite comfortably.  It's going to be a good final hopefully for the tournament.

Q.  Can you talk a little bit about just this year?  I know there are a few more weeks.  But obviously, to most people's standards, a great year for you, but compared to your standard of last year, not the same.  Talk about that a little bit.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC:  Well, there's not much to talk about, really.  It's a different year.   I don't like to make any comparisons.
It was really difficult to ask myself to repeat what I had done in 2011.  Going six months without losing a match is almost, you know, almost impossible.
So I have played the best tennis of my life, but I still feel that since last year I am physically better.  You know, I didn't face any injuries throughout 2012, which is important for me.  You know, I lost a couple of important matches in the Grand Slams and Olympic Games, but look, you know, that's sport.  It's up and down.
But I still feel that I had a very, very consistent year.  I put myself in the position to be No. 1 of the world in the end of the year.  That is always a great task, and it is also a great indication of how well I played throughout the season.

Q.  Can you talk about your two little brothers, please?  I understand they are trying to play professional tennis on tour level, but still a lot of years.  The youngest one is playing challengers right now.  Can you talk a little about them, please.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC:  Well, they have their own ambitions and their own tennis path, which has to be different than mine.   So they are aware of that.
Obviously they had to face a lot of difficulty, mental pressure and expectations of them being in that position of being, you know, my younger brother.
So it was very difficult for them to kind of develop and practice without any pressure in that way.  So it is what it is, and they are maturing as a person.
So Marko is 21 years old.  He's been playing challengers.  He's around 600 in the world.  Djordje is 17.  He has his first couple of ATP points in futures.
It's a long road.  They are aware of that.  It takes a lot of time, takes a lot of effort.  You know, I think they are mentally breaking through and realizing that they have to respect their own path.
I'm trying to help them as much as I can, always be there for them, advise them.  And, you know, in one way it is good to have, you know, a brother who is the top of the men's game because then you have maybe some wildcards or you have maybe all the facilities and conditions you need in order to become a professional player.  But in the other hand, you have to face all these mental struggles, I guess, you know, and expectations from yourself and from everybody else.
So we'll see what happens.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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