‘Excited but nervous playing at home’ – Novak Djokovic reaches Belgrade 2 final
Novak Djokovic said he “started and finished really well” after defeating Andrej Martin in three sets to reach the final of the Belgrade 2 event.
The Serbian won 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 against the world No. 119 in the semi-finals of the ATP 250 tournament.
The world No. 1 admitted he had “letdowns in concentration” – having led by 4-3 and a break in the second set.
“I’m super excited to play in front of a Serbian crowd. This is my home town. I’m always excited, but also nervous, coming out on the court and playing in front of my home crowd,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview.
National treasure 🇷🇸@DjokerNole overcomes Martin 6-1 4-6 6-0 in his hometown to reach tomorrow’s final#BelgradeOpen pic.twitter.com/0qVQE9nn9s
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 28, 2021
“It’s a very unique feeling. You feel a lot of pressure and expectations. But I’m just happy to fight for a trophy tomorrow. I thought I started and finished the match really well, so I’ll try to take those positive feelings into tomorrow’s final.
“I also had some letdowns in concentration towards the end of the second set, and I’ll try to correct those mistakes for tomorrow.”
The 34-year-old will play either qualifier Alex Molcan or eighth seed Federico Delbonis in tomorrow’s final – where he will look to win an 83rd career title.
(Photo credit Ray Giubilo)
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