Djokovic: I have a great feeling about myself

 

Originally published on: 25/01/13 00:00

Ferrer is no pushover. The Spaniard, who will leapfrog Rafael Nadal to become world No.4 on Monday, led the ATP tour in 2012 with 76-match wins and collected seven titles on three different surfaces, including his first ever ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris. But under the lights on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday night Ferrer’s experiences counted for nothing as Djokovic produced a performance worthy of a world No.1, easing past his 30-year-old opponent 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in just 89 minutes.

“Well, it can only do positive things to my confidence,” Djokovic said after the match. “Definitely at this stage of a tournament, playing semifinals against the world No. 4, somebody that I have respect for, great competitor, and being able to perform as well as I did, it's incredible.”

Djokovic has stretched the physical boundaries of the sport over the last couple of years and his ability to recover quickly has become something of a trademark. After taking just 10 minutes short of five hours to beat Murray in last year’s semifinal in Melbourne, the Serb recovered to see off Nadal just a day and a half later in a record-breaking final that surpassed the five-hour mark. This year, the Serb will be going into the final with fresher legs beneath him and this will be a worry for the winner of Murray and Federer, who will have a day less to recover.

“I have a great feeling about myself on the court at this moment,” the world No.1 said. “Now I have two days off before the finals which gives me enough time to get ready, you know, and recover for the finals.”

Will Djokovic turn his attentions to the match between his two rivals? “Of course, of course,” he said. “I love tennis. Tennis is my life. I'm not just a player, I'm also a fan of this sport. I love to see these big matches. When Federer and Murray and Nadal are playing, those are the special kind of matches in Grand Slams.

“I think it's logical that I watch it with more attention because I'm going to play the winner of that match. So I'm going to do analysis and make the notes, as you say, and see whoever I play against to get the right tactics for the match.”

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