Novak Djokovic won his first Masters 1000 tournament of the season at the Italian Open on Sunday. The Serbian giant defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 5-0 and 7-6(5) during two-set finals in Rome. Djokovic seems to have found his footing on the clay court as he aims to defend his title at the Frech Open. After his quarterfinal win against Felix Auger Aliassime, Djokovic discussed many topics during the press conference, including the adaptability of clay courts and why he stopped imitating famous personalities for fun on camera. The world no.1 also praised his quarterfinal rival at the Italian Open and how Nadal is the toughest player to defeat on clay courts.
After his 7-5, 7-6(1) win in the quarterfinals, Djokovic praised Felix for his performance. The 34-year-old stated that clay is not the Canadian’s favorite surface. However, Felix has improved a lot in the last two years while working with Toni Nadal as his coach. Nole believes that Toni Nadal has helped the 21-year-old improve his clay game. Moreover, he mentioned that Felix has been in the top 20 and top 10 for a long time. Novak feels that the Canadian has a complete game, and he works hard to become better.
Djokovic Reveals Why He Stopped Imitating Famous Personalities On Camera
Novak is an easy-going person when he is not on the tennis court. He has been the center of funny moments throughout his career. On several occasions, the Serb has displayed his imitations of characters in the ATP tour and outside it. Djokovic famously imitated Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal before the serve.
During the press conference, Nole revealed why he stopped doing these impressions. Djokovic shared that he was at the Players Show in Monte Carlo and pulled off a Britney Spears imitation. Djokovic thought that it was funny, but his mom did not enjoy it at all. Since then, the world no. 1 stopped doing imitations for a while. He added, “But often I have fun and do them, just away from the cameras.”
Djokovic Talks About His Rivalry Against Nadal On Clay
During a recent interview with ATP, Novak Djokovic discussed his semi-finals win against Nadal last year at the French Open. The 34-year-old said that he received a lot of support in Rome. He feels that Rome has one of the most stunning center courts in the tennis world. Nole mentioned that the surface is unpredictable but dropping a serve on clay is not such a big problem as dropping a serve on fast hard courts.
Moreover, Djokovic admitted that defeating Nadal on the clay court is one of the toughest tasks in tennis. The 21-time Grand Slam champ has a 93.4 win percentage, while Djokovic has won 77.4 percent of his games on clay. Further, Nole stated that Rafa comes quickly off the blocks and gets early breaks on clay during the majority of games. Novak feels that the energy the Spaniard brings n the court is quite commendable.