Novak Djokovic: My Ankle Is Still Not 100%, But Hopefully I’ll Elevate My Performance [Video]

by Tom Gainey | April 17th, 2013, 1:42 pm
  • 43 Comments

In his 2013 clay debut, top ranked Novak Djokovic struggled but prevailed against Russian veteran Mikhail Youzhny. The Serb dropped the first set before regaining his form and suviving a dicey third set to win 46, 61, 64 in the second round at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters today/

Afterward, Djokovic admitted on court to French TV that his right ankle, which he injured last weekend, was still not 100%.

“I’m not 100 percent because of my physical issue but I’m still in the draw. I live here. Everything’s alright,” Djokovic said via Reuters.

Djokovic didn’t confirm his participating in the tournbament until yesterday and his rust showed especially in the third set when he served poorly (42% first serve pct) and squandered a break advantage.

“My movements on the clay are still not at the maximum and not where I want them to be,” said Djokovic. “But as the days go by, I think I’m going to slowly get into it and hopefully I can elevate the level of performance in the next match. Today was a big test, over two hours. I had a great quality opponent.

“I’m very happy to win. I’m just happy to compete, to be honest,” he added. “I haven’t practiced much. An hour maximum a day. Obviously it’s taking its toll on my game. But as I said, happy to win and see what tomorrow can bring.”

Djokovic, who’s never won the Monte Carlo title, will play Juan Monaco tomorrow.


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43 Comments for Novak Djokovic: My Ankle Is Still Not 100%, But Hopefully I’ll Elevate My Performance [Video]

Humble Rafa Says:

I just opened a breadstick and bagel shop, just in time for summer. Everyone is welcome to drop by.


Brando Says:

Gotta give it to the Djoker:

he knows how to communicate his thought’s clearly and be elaborative about them.

Also his inclination to remain positive and not dwell on his scenario is very telling: a subtle indication of his champion’s mentality.

THAT is the difference really: a champion, despite the drama, still accentuate’s the positives and does not dwell on the bad unnecessarily.

Other’s usually EASILY fall into the self pity trap, even if it’s valid, far too easily- especially when the others (media) set the stage up for it.

Telling stuff this footage!


courbon Says:

@ Brando. You are right. Also He matrured a lot in the last two years ( which does happen in that age anyway ).His recent interviews showing well balance guy with great mentality-also same would apply to Rafa and Roger regarding great mentality.


jane Says:

Nice post Brando.

He’s very honest here methinks, and he’s looking forward, which is encouraging for his fans. :)

Probably the quick shift in surfaces is part of his sluggish start, going from high altitude and fast hard courts to sea level and slower clay courts in less than 10 days with not a lot of practice. Anyhow, Ajde Nole!


alison Says:

A straight sets win for Nole against Pico, could be just what the Dr ordered,it will give him some rythum and momentum,to get the feel of the clay under his feet.


Adam Says:

Why does everyone love Novak?
He’s a self centred Twunt


jane Says:

Adam, we get it. You hate Nole. You’ve posted it a few times. Did you see Andy’s match today? I know you’re a fan.


alison Says:

Adam thats not a very nice thing to say,you dont have to like the guy,and fair enough if you dont thats your choice,but theres no need to throw personal insults at the guy,when his only crime is to play tennis.


Adam Says:

Dear Jane & Alison – You’re both right. My sincere apologise for my rudeness. It seems everyone loves Novak and Murray gets absolutely no appreciation for his effort – especially by the people who run this site – like Sean. When he won the Gold Medal last year – nothing. Sean acted as though it didn’t happen, and kept Federer at no,1 (funk).
And now Andy wins Miami – but Novak is no.1 as he won Dubai. Basically his loses to Del Po & Hass didn’t happen
. And Andy’s win against Ferrer was just a fluke. And the whole aspect of dissing Muzza gets to me sometimes. Forget Wimbledon I’d love it if he won Roland Garros – Stanislav will be a true test in the last 16 though.


jane Says:

Adam, you clearly weren’t reading this past week or so; Nole got loads of flack for the ankle injury. Also Sean has admitted before he doesn’t like Nole, but he gives him his due these days. I agree Andy should have had a write up after the Gold! (Didn’t know you were posting then). But I don’t get how saying Nole is a “twunt” (whatever that is) or “self-centred” has anything to do with Andy not getting his due. Who said Andy’s win over Ferrer was a fluke? A grind maybe but a fluke? Nah. Nole and Andy are number 1 and 2 right now. That’s what the rankings say and they don’t lie. And Nole’s loss to Haas did get a write-up here I believe so not sure why you say it didn’t happen.


the DA Says:

“Andy should have had a write up after the Gold!”

Not just that but it still grates that his Olympics win over Nole in the SF didn’t get a write up. Fed & Delpo got a lavish one of course.


alison Says:

Adam Andy happens to be mine and ill speak for Jane our second favorite player,i agree i dont think Andy gets enough credit for his achievements,the gold medal i think your right it was irritating that it didnt get much of a mention,but when he won the USO one of the threads if i remember rightly had over 3oo posts,in fact i will look it up in a minute to find out,Novak and fans stomach their fair share of negativity on this forum as do all the players,i would love for Andy to win the FO or Wimbledon,but especially Wimbledon as hes a Brit and im a Brit,and if he won Wimbledon i dont think there would be a dry eye in the house,and the press would have a field day,Murray winning Wimby the euphoria would be unbelievable,as big as Princess Dis death,and if Jamies right with his prediction he just might(fingers crossed eh),go Muzza.


Adam Says:

May have missed a few things last couple of weeks. I’ve been moving house and location from London to Nottingham – jobs to. Even the press in Britain don’t like Andy. But it’s getting a bit better after last year. I tend to take it all a bit personally – and I shouldn’t.


alison Says:

Adam when Andy won the USO there was 3 different threads on the topic,and 215 posts on the Andy Murray is a GS champion,if you look to the right of your computer screen,there is a list of catagories,and if you click on USO there is a list of old threads,one on the topic i have just mentioned.


Adam Says:

Thanks Alison. Just read the old thread and been listening to the bagpipes, think I need to get a sense of perspective and apologise to Sean.
Sorry Mr, Randall


alison Says:

Adam no probs glad you enjoyed it,as well as Sean,its none of my buisness and im not saying you have to like him,but could you also ease up on Nole and the name calling too?nothing wrong in objective critisism dont get me wrong though.


racquet Says:

Glad to see that Andy won comfortably. I wouldn’t mind if he made this a habit (tomorrow especially). Off to see a recording of the match.


queen Says:

Adam, u r not alone…I cannot stand Novak either.


the DA Says:

Apparently the Monte-Carlo player’s party was a hoot once again. Bhupati tweeted that Rafa, Andy, Milos and Bopanna performed the Harlem Shake! Please god, let there be a video of that.


Alok Says:

hehe, I love this BFF of my BFF business. You’re my friend if you pretend to like my fave and I’ll do the same for you. Adherence to The Golden Rule is a must, meaning that you cannot deviate. And, if you strictly adhere to that unspoken rule, who knows you might even receive a gold embossed invitation to join the inner sanctum, which raises you up to the level of esteemed member of the chosen few.


Alok Says:

@queen, you have just earned a demerit and committed the unthinkable crime.

Too bad that Milos lost. I was telling my roommate only last night when today’s order of play was shown, that Nieminen is a dangerous player for Raonic to meet so early due to their different styles of play, whereby Jarko puts back a lot of balls in play and that’s notthe sort of game Milos likes to play. That said,I’m not surprised at the results.


jane Says:

“Rafa, Andy, Milos and Bopanna performed the Harlem Shake! Please god, let there be a video of that.”

No kidding DA – I’ll look for it!


M Says:

““Rafa, Andy, Milos and Bopanna performed the Harlem Shake! Please god, let there be a video of that.”

No kidding DA – I’ll look for it!”

LOL, jane. Please find that.
Please.
:-)


Wog boy Says:

Russian tested Nole’s ankle properly. He was serving wide on Nole’s right leg, trying drop shots as often as he could and moving Nole and changing the pace too. Midway through second set Nole did show little bit of concern for his ankle, particulary after one drop shot by Russian, which Nole returned but for a few games after that he was streching and testing his ankle. Anyway not to worry, I don’t expect much from MC, just few nice matches and getting into clay court rythm.


jane Says:

Wog boy, check out these tweets from French journalist. ;)

Carole Bouchard ‏@carole_bouchard 11h
No idea how but Djokovic french has improved again like wow. Speaking way faster with much more words. #HasDoneSomeHomework

Carole Bouchard ‏@carole_bouchard 11h
@Da_Bookie I know but compared to last year he has really improved. so gifted for learning languages once again.

Carole Bouchard ‏@carole_bouchard 11h
@suboticjelena I leave him in Bercy with an average/good french and I see him now being very good/fluent : how is he doing this ?! lol


Wog boy Says:

jane,

I am thinkig about two things, one is that he is naturally gifted and has a good ear for languages and the other one, not less important, he left home as a kid and spent 2-3 years in Germany. He was by himself and though Pilic (Croatian) and his wife Mia (Serbian) spoke Serbo-Croatian with him he had to communicate with others, he could develop that gift in his childhood. I am telling you from my expirience, as a kid I use to visit relatives (father’s side) in different country, and they spoke their language, it would take me 2-3 weeks and I was able to speak to them in their language (broken one) and we never spoke that language back home, since my father wasn’t fluent himself in that one, he was born and raised in Serbia and my mother is Serbian. I spent some time in Germany before I came to Australia and after few drinking sessions with my German friends I was able to communicat with them, brandy@beer do miracles. I learned English at school, basic one, so when I arrived in Australia I had no problems, I just had to keep improving it, since from the very first day I worked with Australians, usually new people are looking for the jobs with their countrymen. That is mistake, because that way they don’t give themseves chance to learn English. I did exactly oposite.
Please disregard spelling and other mistakes;)


jane Says:

Wog boy, yes: it’s partly about learning young. My son is in French immersion school and it’s amazing how easily he picked it up, whereas I still struggle though I grew up listening to my mum and grandmum speak some kind of French-Canadian patois. At bottom, we’re all human and long to communicate. But definitely some are more gifted with languages than others. Here’s a hashtag from an unabashedly obsessed tennis fan, hee hee: #proudofNole! ;)


Wog boy Says:

jane,

One more thing, if you look at his team we have, Italian, Austrian, Slovakian and Serbian, one of each and he lives in French speaking country. Clever boy:)


jane Says:

Hee hee, yes, he’s surrounded by a variety of language.


Margot Says:

@Adam
The phrase that makes me grind my teeth is “even Murray.” Delivered like some sort of afterthought. And u r right, there was a time when it seemed that Andy had taken up residence in that damn trunk.


BadaBing Says:

Giles, did Novak do any skits in MC?

Wog boy, Novak is clever and international!

I think he will try to do quarters and tank. He has points to spare.


alison Says:

JMO i hate that expression tank,if a player plays he should be playing with the attitude of trying to win,it takes away from the opponents victory,its disrespectful to the opponent,the tournament,and the fans who pay decent money to watch them play,and this is not me been the predictable Rafa fan taking a pop at Novak,before anybody says anything,as i would say exactly the same about any player(sigh).


BadaBing Says:

Tank to me in this case is playing to the best of my ability with an injury that day. If I need to break my butt to win the match, then no I won’t risk further injury. JMO


alison Says:

Bada Bing fair enough,i just think its unfair,IMO I dont think a player should play if H/S has that intention,i would be annoyed if id spent my hard earned money and i knew my favorite had done that,but then again i only earn a pittance,and the value of money is precious to me,and i have to bust my butt to earn it,but i suppose these people are millionaires so they can afford to think like that,its niether here nor there to them really.


alison Says:

^BTW no harm or foul,just sayin^.


kenyon Manu Says:

Nole is a bum he’s good but he is over rated!


Michael Says:

If it is Rolland Garros, I will be able to understand Novak’s yielding no ground. But this is Monte Carlo Masters where he is well within his right to skip. But for some reason or other, he insists on playing. I do not think this is a good decision at all looking from any angle. Either to gain confidence or to preserve his body for future challenges, Monte Carlo participation would be a disaster in making. But still Novak has other plans and I do not know what it is. It will not be really possible for a half fit Novak to dislodge Nadal at Montecarlo.


alison Says:

Michael apparantly Djokovics ankle is very swollen this morning according to Annabelle Croft,its my belief that he should pull out, not play and tank as its been suggested,he has to get past Niemenen whos playing very well beating Raonic and Delpo,so its not necassarily a gimee that he would meet Rafa,on the other hand its not a gimee that Rafa will beat Grigor whos beaten Tipsy and Anderson,he has to beat most likely Wawarinka whos schooling Tsonga ATM,many will say Rafas had it too easy so far,and i cant argue with that given the scorelines of his matches so far,even though i havent actually seen him play,he wont have it that easy against Stan whos playing really well.


Michael Says:

Alison,
You want to know about Rafa’s standard of play in this tournament. I would say it is extraordinary even though the opponents were lilliputans. What impressed me about Rafa’s quality of play is the confidence he exubers and the way he hits those running forehands from no where as winners. Remember the running forehand winner is the most difficult shot in Tennis to master and I think slow courts like Montecarlo help Rafa’s cause to recover well in time to retrieve the most difficult shots and magically land them as winners in the opponent end to their surprise. What the opponent can do is just to glance over it and applaud his rival on court for his brilliance. As you rightly said, Novak should pull out of the tournament and he definitely must. I am just bewildered as to why he continues to play risking his body a great deal ? May be it is his home tournament as he resides here but still it appears strange that he has opted to play despite his damaged ankle. Even now it is not late, I hope Novak pulls out as soon as he can. Enough is enough !!


alison Says:

Michael Novak has dislocated a bone in his foot,his coach has told a reporter,shame not nice,yeah hope common sense will prevail:(((,its not nice when any player is injured:(.


Michael Says:

Alison,

How quickly things can change. Now Novak is not showing any signs of distress and he is seemingly playing his best Tennis. I hope this continues.


alison Says:

Michael yeah his ankle seems fine now,so thankfully we can now talk about his tennis,TBH im sick to death with talking about ankles and knees,im with Brando i think it was more to do with Novaks form not his ankle,and i think hes finding it now,with Rafa i think he had it easy upto the Dimitrov match,now hes playing Tsonga and for some reason even if he gets past Tsonga im not that confident about his chances against most likely Novak in the final,just hope whatever happens fans dont scream out career over,career over(sigh).

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