World number 2 and Australian Open six-time champion Novak Djokovic will face a tough debut against Fernando Verdasco in his first round match. The Spanish came close to an upset win over Djokovic in Doha at the start of the year when the Serbian player had to save five match points. Djokovic went on to win the Doha title beating Andy Murray in the final.
“I hope I will not get to the stage where I have to defend match points. Fernando is a very complete player on any surface, In a given day, if things go right, he can beat really anybody on any surface. He beat Nadal in five sets in the first round. He has won against most of the top players. He is not ovewhelmed by the occasion of playing on centre court. He has had that experience many times. A lot depends on how I feel and how he feels. It’s the first match of the Grand Slam. We both need to start with the right intensity. We are going to be striving to do so, but I am expecting a tough one, there is no doubt about that”, said Djokovic during a press conference in Melbourne on the eve of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.
Djokovic will be bidding to win his seventh title at the Australian Open and his 12th Major title in Melbourne in one of his most successful Grand Slam titles.
“I think being so successful in this tournament will help me. It has been the most successful Grand Slam that I have ever had. I love playing at Rod Laver Arena. I love the vibe of this tournament. This gives me a lot of thrill, a lot of confidence and excitement to approach it. It’s the beginning of the season. I see many players feel very inspired and motivated to play their best tennis. They have been through a period of five, six weeks with no official matches. They recharge their batteries. They are eager to get back on the court and play the sport. It’s so early in the seaaon and we already have a first Grand Slam, one of the four biggest events in the sport. That’s enough motivation to start off the season in the best possible fashion. Conditions play their role for sure. I love playing on hard court. Especially night matches play a lot slower, which I like. I guess it’s a combination of things”.
Djokovic admitted that the big challenge of the Australian Open is to acclimatise to the tough summer conditions.
“That’s why you come five or five days earlier before your first match to get a hit, to adjust to the conditions and to prepare for one of the four biggest events in the sport”, said Djokovic.
The Serbian player said that the 2017 Australian Open will be the start of a new challenge and that he has learnt from the experiences he had in the past.
“I can’t get into the shape of 2015 and 2016 because that’s behind me. The only thing I can do is to create my own shape and that’s what I am trying to do. 2017 is a completely new year for me and a new challenge and everything that happened before is an experience that I take lesson from. I move on as a new person because circumstances in life are very different today than they were yesterday or any year before.”
He said that he would be pleased to get back to the top of the ranking, although it will not be a priority.
“If I become Number 1, that’s great. Of course that’s what I want but it’s not my priority. I really would like to take one tournament at a time and try to win as many matches as possible. As a consequence to that, if I become Number 1, I will be thrilled”.
One of the main highlights of the Melbourne tournament will be Roger Federer’s comeback to a Grand Slam tournament after a long absence from tennis due to a knee injury.
“I don’t expect everything. With Roger, you can always see a top level and quality of tennis. He brings this aura of a champion on and off the court. The sport definitely missed him. It’s great to see him back, no question about it. From a colleague perspective and point of view of fans, everybody loves to see Roger. He is one of the most important people that ever held the racquet. I am sure he is very motivated because he hasn’t played at any official tournament ever since Wimbledon. With all his experience, talent and everything he has achieved in his life, I don’t think it’s going to take too much of a time for him to really get back into that kind of competitive zone”.
