Novak Djokovic: Madrid’s Altitude Helps The Big Servers And Aggressive Players
- 16 Comments
Novak Djokovic isn’t just ranked on top of the world, he’s feeling that was as well. And why not. After slaying rival Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo last month the Serb is in perfect form as he heads toward his big goal at the French Open.
The former Madrid champion who could play Grigor Dimitrov in his first match, talked about the challenges of playing a tournament at altitude.
“There is an altitude here of 500 [to] 600 meters, which helps the servers and more aggressive players,” he said. “The ball travels through the air faster, so that can make Dimitrov very dangerous on this surface.”
He also revealed that his injured ankle is nearly back to 100% health (as if it wasn’t already?).
“It’s better every day,” Djokovic said. “I’ve been doing a lot of work from the end of Monte-Carlo tournament till now in order to obviously get ready for Madrid. It’s a very big tournament that I like to play. Hopefully on Tuesday or Wednesday, whenever I play, it’s going to be perfectly fine.”
Novak went on to admit that he felt there was a gap at the top of men’s tennis but to proceed cautiously.
“There is definitely a gap. The four players are the ones who are winning all the Grand Slams and major tournaments,” said Djokovic. “Men’s tennis is in a very high level; competition is getting stronger. But we cannot count out all the other players outside of the four. Players like Ferrer, Berdych and Tsonga. These kind of players have shown in the past that they’re able to win against the four.”
When the “Big Four” has played in the same tournament they have won that tournament the last 26 times dating back to 2010 in Rome.
Djokovic lost on the slippery blue clay last year to Janko Tipsarevic but the last time it was red in 2011 he won the title.
“The court is great, the opinions of the other players I can hear are all positive comments, so it’s great to see that,” Novak said. “It’s always positive to see a tournament doing everything to make a player feel comfortable playing on the court, and of course feeling good off the court as well.”
You Might Like:
Rafael Nadal Is Still Mad About Madrid’s Blue Clay, But At Least His Knee Is “Perfect”
Rafael Nadal Brings 10-Match Win Streak Into Madrid, Cautions He Doesn’t Know Which Rafa Will Show Up
Nadal Blames Altitude for Shoddy Play, Federer Dumps Tsonga, Gets Gasquet in Rome
Nadal, Djokovic, Murray Give Thumbs Down On Madrid’s Blue Clay Courts
Wide Open WTA Finals Opens Wed. In Mexico; Pliskova v Muguruza