Novak Djokovic on having wife and kids courtside at ATP Finals: "One of the biggest motivational factors that I have right now"
Five-time ATP Finals champion and seventh seed Novak Djokovic revealed that his family is one of the biggest factors that motivated him to continue competing at the highest level.
It was a family affair for the Serbian in Turin as both his kids and wife Jelena were present in his player's box to cheer him on during his second group stage match against Andrey Rublev in the ongoing ATP Finals.
In his post-match interview, the 21-time Major winner revealed that it was the first match that both his kids watched from start to finish.
"To be honest, I actually think it's probably the first match that both my daughter and my son, along with my wife, have watched the entire match from the first minute to the last," Djokovic said.
"We played for just over an hour. It is so great to have them. For me, that is one of the biggest motivational factors that I have right now competing at the highest level. Having them courtside, watching and celebrating, hopefully with me,” he added.
"One of the best matches of the year without a doubt" - Novak Djokovic on his defeat of Andrey Rublev at ATP Finals
Novak Djokovic defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 to march into the semifinals of the ATP Finals. The Serb was imperious throughout the match and did not give the Russian any chance of mounting a comeback.
In his post-match interview, the 35-year-old called it "one of his best" matches of the season.
“I played very, very well. One of the best matches of the year without a doubt. He is a tough opponent. A great competitor. He possesses a lot of strengths in his game. I managed to find the right attitude and the right game," he said.
The 21-time Major winner mentioned that other than one game in the first set, he did not give Rublev any chances on his serve and claimed that he was flawless in the second set.
“In the 10th game of the first set, I think he was 40/30 and we played a long rally and I just stayed in there and told myself chances will come. He went down in his energy a little in the second [set] and I wanted to use the momentum and energy from my side in the first few games and it was a flawless second set,” he said.