Novak Djokovic, world number one and the great star of the finals of Davis Cup in Malagaannounced this Wednesday that he wants to give a “final push” to award the second Salad Bowl in its history to Serbia and made it clear that he wants to “win” with his team in a tournament in which he came “with great desire and playing good tennis.”
“I hope I can play like in the semifinals and the final in Turin,” he said at a press conference about his latest ATP Finals victory, the seventh time in his career, although he admitted he doesn’t have “much time to celebrate” because he arrived in Malaga the next day to join his national team.
Djokovic, who starts Thursday in this edition of the Davis Cup with a quarter-final tie between Serbia and Great Britain, stressed that “this is the last week of the year” and he needs “one last push” to successfully close out the 2023 .
“This is one of my big goals for the season and of course I’m here to win,” the Serbian declared in front of a crowd of journalists from national and international media who filled the conference room of José Martín Carpena Sports Palacecontest scene.
“I’m really looking forward to it, I’ve been playing good tennis. I’m grateful to be here again, because the Davis Cup has always been the most important team tennis competition. Almost twenty years have passed since my debut. ,” the tennis player recalled. from Belgrade.
Regarding the current format of the Davis Cup, he advocated making improvements in terms of venue selection and added: “In the previous management of Kosmos and now the ITF (International Tennis Federation) there has been a lot of criticism of the format change; I think the best thing is a mix of the format that existed then and the one that exists today.
It’s not good that we haven’t played in Serbia for a long time. I want us to play there and give Serbians a chance to see each other, especially young people who want to be players. “I think the ITF has to ask us and talk to the players,” he said.
The number one in the ATP ranking considered that “it is very difficult for the same country to organize the finals five years in a row, they have to rotate”, in reference to Spain being chosen as the venue for the last finals. .
In sport, Djokovic praised Great Britain, Serbia’s rival in the quarterfinals next Thursday starting at 4:00 pm, saying “it’s one of the best tennis federations there is, with a lot of success.”
“Their doubles is the best, apart from (Cameron) Norrie and (Jack) Draper, two left-handers. It’s hard to find a left-handed sparring partner like Norrie to practice with. They have a lot to choose from and we don’t have a specialist, but we trust the singles” he asserted.
Finally, when asked about his connection and love for the Costa del Sol and Andalusia, he praised a land, located in the south of Spain and Europe, where he has a home in the Malaga municipality of Marbella.
“I love going to Malaga and Andalusia. One of my brothers lives here. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, the climate is perfect, the people are very friendly, the food is delicious… It’s different energy from that of Madrid, Barcelona or other areas of Spain,” he highlighted.
Source: La Verdad
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