Novak Djokovic: Third round
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Novak Djokovic talks to the media after the 6-7(6), 1-6, 6-3, 6-7(5) defeat by Sam Querrey
Q. What do you think the keys to this defeat were for you?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, just congratulation to Sam. He played a terrific match. He serves very well, as he usually does. I think that part of his game was brutal today. He made a lot of free points with the first serve.
Just well done. He just overpowered me.
Q. I don't know if you are superstitious or religious. Do you think it's a sign of destiny? It's so difficult every year that someone can make the Grand Slam. Something happens and it doesn't come true, what everyone is expecting. Do you believe that?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I believe in positive things in life. I managed to win four Grand Slams in a row two different seasons, though. I want to try to focus on that rather than on failure.
Q. It was two complicated days with rain interruptions and everything. It doesn't feel like you could find your best level at any point through this match. How was it for you to play over these 48 hours?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Again, I don't want to take anything out of victory from my opponent today. He played very well and he deserved to win.
I had my chances maybe in the fourth set, serving for the set. In the tiebreak, I was leading. Just wasn't feeling the ball as well as I wished. But that's sport.
Q. I know it's very early days, but the only chance we'll get to ask you. How might this impact your decision about Davis Cup?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, I'm not going to play Davis Cup.
Q. How much of a factor was the weather?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's the same for both of us. It's really not necessary to talk about the rain interruptions and everything, all the conditions. It's obvious that not just us, but all the people who were coming to watch us play, are frustrated because of so many delays.
It's same for both of us.
Q. We're so used to seeing you play so consistently, at such a high level. Today your serve and backhand were not the way they usually are. Was there a reason for that? Were you 100% healthy?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Not really. But, you know, it's not the place and time to talk about it. Again, the opponent was playing on a very high level and he deserved to win.
Q. How much do you feel the weight of history and all the things you were accomplishing, and on track to accomplish, how much of a factor was that compared to your play and Sam's play and the conditions?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You know, I don't think it played a big of a factor, to be honest. Coming into this match, I knew that it's going to be very close, not easy to break his serve. If he's on a roll, as he was, it's really hard to read his serve. He hits his spots really well.
Again, whenever he had a chance from the rally, he was going for the shots. Most of them were coming in.
Q. Were you a little bit surprised, because Sam is not known for keeping that kind of intensity?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you know, he's been around for so many years. I think from the experience he has had, he's learned and became a better player.
Q. There's an old saying: It's not what happens to you; it's how you react to what happens to you. What do you think this loss will do to motivate you to keep marching up the tennis pantheon?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Same thing. We'll see. We'll see. It's been only 20 minutes since I went out of the court. It's hard to speak about anything that is coming up.
But certainly it's not the first time that I'm losing in a Grand Slam match, or any match for that matter. I know what to do. First thing's first: just to put my mind at ease and just relax. I'll think about something different.
Q. Were you concerned coming into the match?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. Why would I be?
Q. No reason for any concern?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No.
Q. We saw you practicing this morning on Court 14. You didn't seem yourself. What were you thinking this morning?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I just said, I just don't want to talk about it. Please respect that. Thank you.
Q. You've had some struggles on No. 1 court. Are you as comfortable out there as you are on Centre?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. More comfortable on Centre Court, obviously.
Q. Why is that?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Because I play 90% of the matches on the Centre Court, 10% on the other court. Obviously, naturally I'm going to feel better on the Centre Court.
Q. You played Sam a lot of times. Did he do anything that surprised you that made him more dangeros? Or is it the grass and slick conditions helping him?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Serve, as I said, and accuracy. Then, you know, I think he didn't want to stay too long in the rally. Few long rallies. Other than that, he was just going for it.
He was aggressive, and it paid off.
Q. How difficult does it feel to win four slams in a row and then have to start again and continue on?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's an amazing feeling, obviously, to be able to hold four Grand Slams at the same time. Coming into Wimbledon, obviously here, I knew that mentally it's not going to be easy to kind of remotivate myself.
But the importance of this tournament is so immense that, you know, you always find ways to really get inspired and prepare and try to give your best.
Obviously my best wasn't enough this year.
Q. It's only obviously been a few minutes, but what is the overwhelming emotion right now? How do you use that to fuel yourself moving forward?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't know. I'm not happy to lose a match, that's for sure. But, you know, I'm going to move on from this hopefully as a stronger player.
Q. Did the enormity of what you achieved perhaps mentally take out of you more than you realized at the time, completing the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I wasn't thinking anything else at the time when I achieved that.
Coming into Wimbledon, I obviously direct my thoughts to this tournament. As I said, you know, in sports everything is possible. If you're playing somebody of as a high quality as Sam Querrey is on this surface with a big serve, anything can happen. I was a few points away from losing last year against Kevin Anderson in a very similar match on the same court.
Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes against. You got to deal with that.
Q. Do you regret not playing a few more matches before Wimbledon, besides Boodles?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. I won the last couple of years Wimbledon without playing any lead up event. I didn't feel that it was necessary.
Q. Will the next time we see you be at the Olympics or are you planning to play in between?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: We'll see. I have to think about it.
Q. You said that you have lost so many times in different tournaments. How painful is this? Why did you decide to come here as soon as possible, 20 minutes after the match? Just because you want to get rid of everything and leave?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes. I prefer your questions can be a little bit shorter, yes.
Q. They will be.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Okay (smiling).
It's disappointing, of course, losing at a Grand Slam hurts more than any other tournament. There is no doubt about that.
Q. It's not frequent that you lose this early. How do you think you're going to deal with this? What is the best way for you to deal with the disappointment of this?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, thankfully I have a family and I have a life outside of tennis. I have plenty of things to look forward to.
I'm going to obviously pay more attention to those things than tennis in the next period. I need it. It's been a very successful year so far, but very long one, exhausting one, in every sense of that word. I just need some rest.
Q. Will you follow the rest of the tournament or do you prefer to get away from tennis after a loss like that?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Get away from tennis.
