The current number 4 in world tennis, the Serbian Novak Djokovicthis Saturday ensured that he does not see himself as the favorite in the final of Shanghai 1,000 Masters who will play this Sunday against the first in the ranking, the Italian Jannik Sinner. “I have to be at my best to win,” he said.
“He is the best player in the world, (he plays) incredible tennis. He is very consistent and the player to beat, without a doubt, especially on hard courts. (… ) I will have to be at my best level to win” , indicated the Serbian after defeating the American in the semifinal Taylor Fritzseventh in ATP, 6-4 and 7-6 (6).
“I will not be a favoritebut I will try to be as fresh as possible in physically standing up to him in what I expect to be a long fight, probably the toughest of the championship. Hopefully it will be a big challenge,” he commented.
In the end, Djokovic He will aim not only to stand as the absolute leader in the Shanghai record – he won the title on 4 occasions (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018), more than anyone else – but also to get the 100th trophy of his career.
“Fighting for the 100th title here, where I have had great success in the past and where I have a lot of support, seems like a matter of destiny,” said the tennis player who spent the longest time at the top of the world table . in history.
Regarding the support that the Chinese public has always given him, Djokovic He thanked: “It’s great to play in this environment. It drives me and motivates me to fight more.”
Asked about the physical problems he has been suffering from in his last two games – both knee and hip, the latter a problem which forced him to ask for time off today to be treated by the physio – ‘Nole’ wanted to take the edge off the subject: “I’m not worried, considering I went ahead and finished the games yesterday and today. That’s good news.”
“I think, at this age (37 years old), you have to expect that in every game something different will happen to you on a physical level, and you have to try to accept it. But I’m happy with how I’m moving. and how I recovered,” he added.
Djokovic and sinful They will meet tomorrow no earlier than 4:00 pm local time (10:00 CET/08:00 GMT) for the eighth time. So far, the Serbian has won four times, compared to three Italians.
However, the three achievements of sinful These have occurred in the last four meetings between the two. The final victory of Djokovic It was at the ATP Finals in Turin (Italy) last year.
Source: La Verdad
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