Djokovic ‘comfortable’ with fitness ahead of Serbia Open final
World number one Novak Djokovic has stated he feels “comfortable” with his current level of fitness, as the 20-time Grand Slam winner looked ahead to his first final of 2022.
The Serbian has had a difficult 2022 having only featured in three tournaments. Last week the Serbian competed in only his second tournament of 2022 as he crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters, suffering a shock defeat to eventual finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round.
Prior to the tournament, he had only competed in the Dubai Tennis Championships in February and was forced to miss both the Australian Open and the ‘Sunshine Double’ of Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the United States last month due to his vaccination status.
However, now Djokovic looks like he is returning to his old imperious self as he tries to find his best form ahead of his French Open title defense in May.
On Saturday, Djokovic reached his first final of the season in front of his home crowd in Belgrade as he came back from one set down to beat third seed Karen Khachanov 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. The semi-final win comes after two back-to-back comeback victories over compatriots Laslo Đere and Miomir Kecmanović.
Post-match, Djokovic discussed his fitness levels following the win stating he feels “comfortable” at where his fitness levels are and that he believes that due to the earlier contests in the tournament he now has had sufficient match practice.
“I am already feeling quite comfortable on the court I think. The three matches that went all three sets gave me enough of the match play and so I was running enough in order to be at my optimal best so now I don’t think the lack of matches plays a role.
“Maybe it was the case three or four days ago but not today.”
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