Ahead Of French Final, Novak Djokovic Admits To Sudden Bout Of Fatigue, But Says It’s Nothing Serious
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Novak Djokovic was in control of his French Open semifinal match today with Ernests Gulbis by two sets when in the middle of the third set the Serb said he became suddenly fatigued.
“First two sets went well,” Djokvoic explained. “I thought I played well, very solid, putting a lot of returns back in the court, serving at the high percentage. Then suddenly midway through the third set started to feel physically fatigued a little bit, and you could feel that. You could see that both me and him, we struggled on the court.
“It happens, you know. It happens in the tournament, and important thing for me is that I realize what’s going on. It’s nothing serious. I’m going to have now two days of recovery and get ready for the final.
Is there suddenly concern for Djokovic’s health especially with what could be said is the biggest match of his career against Rafael Nadal on Sunday with a career Slam and a French Open title at stake?
“There is nothing bothering me. Just the general fatigue that, you know, probably was influenced by conditions or other things that I felt today. But I’m not going to talk about. That’s it. I’m glad I won in four sets, because if it went to a fifth, God knows in which direction the match could go. I’m just going to rest today and tomorrow, try to not spend too much energy on the courts, and get ready for finals.”
Two months ago Djokovic said his wrist wasn’t an issue early on in Monte Carlo, but we know what happened then.
Djokovic, though, isn’t concerned about the pressures of his match with Rafa.
“I guess each year I gain that experience in knowing how to handle the certain situations psychologically,” Djokovic said. “So it is more of a motivation for me, more of a I would say positive emotion going into the finals. Of course pressure is there. Expectations are there. They are always present when you are playing on this level.
“But I’m trying to channel this energy into the right direction and not get carried away too much by the stress of the occasion. So it is the final. It is the finals of a Grand Slam that I never won. Of course I’m going to give my best to lift the trophy in two days. I’m going to have the ultimate challenge on clay across the net, Nadal. We all know how successful he is.
“But I have to believe and I have to try to win it.”
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