Novak Djokovic ready for different test at Astana Open
Novak Djokovic is looking forward to a difference in conditions at the Astana Open in comparison to his victory in Tel Aviv last week.
Djokovic, the 21-time Grand Slam champion, returned to winning ways last week with victory in Israel beating Marin Cilic in the final. Now he begins his campaign at the ATP 500 in Kazakhstan against Cristian Garin of Chile and Djokovic is all too aware of the slower pace of the court this week and how it will affect his tactics.
”Tel Aviv was fast, so if you serve well, the ball skids through the court and you get a lot of free points,” said Djokovic in an interview with ATP Media. ”Here, it’s not such a great asset. It’s tough to penetrate the court. You have to use the tactics of clay, constructing the points. It’s going to be much more physical.”
Despite his lack of relative playing time, the Serbian player became the first man to win titles on three surfaces this season. He has won at Rome (clay), Wimbledon (grass) and Tel Aviv (hard). ”Considering the small amount of tournaments I played this year, it’s a great success to play consistently well on the different surfaces,” Djokovic said.
He also took a lot of positivity from his victory in Tel Aviv. ”Winning gives you confidence,” Djokovic said. ”I haven’t played an official tournament in three months, so it’s been a while. I’m just excited to compete more.”
Novak Djokovic is primed to qualify for the year end championships this year. He is currently No. 15 for the Race to Turin but he will secure a spot as long as he remains in the top 20 based on his standing as a current year Grand Slam champion. ”Hopefully I can accumulate some points that will secure me a spot in Turin,” he said. ”That’s one big goal to the end for the year, to qualify.”
? Free >> Join our legendary newsletter
? Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB
? Social >> Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube
? Read >> World’s best tennis magazine
? Watch >> How to enjoy ATP/WTA/Slam tennis on TV
? Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner