"The moment hasn’t come; either for him or for me" - Novak Djokovic sounds off retirement rumors for himself and Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic has made it clear that he and his longtime rival Rafael Nadal have no plans to retire from the sport anytime soon.
Roger Federer, the third member of the illustrious Big 3, retired after the Laver Cup, capping off a glorious 24-year-long career on the tour.
Speaking on the RMC podcast, Djokovic said that while he felt privileged to be part of Federer's farewell, the time hadn't come for Nadal or himself to call it quits.
“I live in a very special moment of tennis history, maybe the greatest, and I feel incredibly honored to be in a situation to write the history of our sport. The moment hasn’t come, either for him or for me,” Novak Djokovic said.
"It was very intense, just a lot of pressure" - Novak Djokovic on his win over Maxime Cressy
Novak Djokovic won his opening match at the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday, defeating Maxime Cressy in straight sets, 7-6(1), 6-4.
Djokovic was dominant on his serve as he didn't face a break point throughout, but had trouble breaking his opponent's big serve. In his post-match interview, he praised his opponent's serve and was pleased with himself for securing the break at the right time.
"It was very intense, just a lot of pressure," Djokovic said. "When you play someone that serves this well — first and second serve — you don't have much room to relax and maybe play kind of a softer few games. You just have to be on your toes all the time. Credit to him for serving big in some big moments. I had my chances [in the] first set to break him, second as well."
"A break came at the right time, perfect time actually. I was very pleased with the way I held my serve, didn't face a break point," he added.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion pointed out that he did what he does best: "be solid from the back of the court and wait for the opportunities when they are presented." He added that he was "very pleased" with his performance.
"I had to lock in, I had to not give him gifts and points," he continued. "What I could do and what I wanted to do is to really do what I do best, which is just be solid from the back of the court and wait for the opportunities when they are presented, try to capitalise on them... Just overall very pleased with the way I felt and the way I played."