"It's going to be very easy, it's going to Wimbledon & winning" - When Novak Djokovic sarcastically spoke on rebounding at SW19 after French Open loss
Novak Djokovic once refused to discuss his Wimbledon prospects after losing to Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 French Open final. The Serb was attempting to achieve the coveted career Grand Slam at the claycourt Major, having previously suffered defeats in two Roland Garros finals.
Djokovic entered the French Open as the top seed, having clinched five titles that year, including the Australian Open. The Serb continued his imperious form in Paris, setting up a blockbuster quarterfinal clash against five-time defending champion Rafael Nadal without dropping a set.
He became only the second man, after Robin Soderling, to beat Nadal at Roland Garros, claiming a commanding 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 victory in two hours and 26 minutes. The Serb then narrowly edged past Andy Murray 6-3 6-3 5-7 5-7 6-1 after a tense four-hour and nine-minute battle.
Novak Djokovic fell short against Stan Wawrinka in the final, though, as the Swiss secured a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory to clinch his first French Open and second Grand Slam title.
Following the loss, the Serb fielded a question about his typically strong rebound at Wimbledon after falling short at the claycourt major. When asked whether it was an easy routine or still difficult, Djokovic sarcastically responded that it was "very easy" to triumph at SW19.
Although he quickly admitted the difficulty of the task, he emphasized that his focus wasn't on Wimbledon yet, as he was still processing his loss in the French Open final and needed to recover from it.
"No, it's going to be very easy. I mean, it's going to Wimbledon and winning a trophy. (Laughter.) Of course it's going to be difficult.
"But, again, my mind is not in London at the moment, really. I just got off the court, and I need some rest. That's all," he said in his post-match press conference.
When pressed further about whether his defeat would serve as motivation at the grasscourt Major, the Serb reiterated his refusal to engage in speculation about his chances at SW19.
"Well, you were right. I don't want to talk about Wimbledon now. (Smiling.) Sorry," he said.
Despite Djokovic's reservations about discussing his ability to bounce back at Wimbledon, he went on to triumph at the grasscourt Major, beating Roger Federer 7-6(1), 6-7(10), 6-4, 6-3 in the final to clinch his third SW19 title.
Novak Djokovic after 2015 French Open final loss: "I don't think that's fair to Stan Wawrinka, to sit here and whine about what happened"
In the same press conference, Novak Djokovic refused to blame his challenging consecutive wins over Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray for his loss to Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 French Open final, admitting that it would be unfair to the Swiss to make excuses.
"I don't want to come up with excuse, saying these two matches took a lot out of me, and I lost today. I don't think that's fair to Stan. I don't think that's fair to sit here and whine about now what has happened," Djokovic said.
However, the Serb also conceded that his clashes against Nadal and Murray were very mentally and physically demanding, resulting in his legs becoming fatigued during crucial moments of the Wawrinka clash.
"Certainly those two matches were very big in terms of physical demand and mental, emotional, as well. But, still, I was today feeling pretty fresh as much as I could. I mean, I was ready to go out and fight, and I have done so," he said.
"Maybe in some important moments I didn't feel I had that explosivity in the legs, but, look, in the end of the day he was just a better player. There was no reason to find some excuses why this happened," he added.
With his triumph, Wawrinka secured his fourth win over Djokovic after losing 17 of their previous 20 encounters.