After having a low start to the year, Novak Djokovic finally won his first title of 2022 yesterday at the Italian Open. The Serbian outplayed Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas in an interesting yet one-sided battle. Even though Djokovic is not new to winning titles, he feels that the win in Rome is a relief for him considering the rough start to his season.
After the match, Djokovic interacted with the media, admitting how he felt about the win.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Novak Djokovic on winning the Rome title
Talking to the media, Djokovic said, “To some extent it’s a relief because after everything that happened at the beginning of the year, was important for me to win a big title, especially with Grand Slams coming up where obviously want to play my best and be at the level of confidence think more than just the game, where want to be in order to have a chance to win the title.”
Recalling his campaign in Rome, the six-time champion continued, “I couldn’t ask for a better week really. Played a perfect set today. Didn’t drop a set the whole tournament.”
Djokovic “It's a relief because after everything that happened at the beginning of the year was important for me to win a big title especially with Grand Slams coming up”
“I couldn't ask for a better week really. Played a perfect set today. Didn't drop a set the whole tournament” pic.twitter.com/ZTlkt2YQ5W— Kiran Gupta (@kirangupta_) May 15, 2022
Djokovic had a powerful start to his Rome run. Beating one player after another, the Serbian made sure of lack of match experience not being visible in his game. Going strong throughout, he won the tournament without dropping a single set.
How did Djokovic take the step of victory in Rome?
With nothing to lose, Djokovic entered the Italian Open as the top seed. Receiving a first-round bye, Djokovic started his Rome campaign with a second-round win over Russia’s Aslan Karatsev. Going further, he next beat his long time on-court rival, Stan Wawrinka. The win over the Swiss sent Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In the quarterfinals, he beat the promising Canadian talent Felix Auger-Aliassime. In the semifinals, he defeated Casper Ruud. Even though the win over Ruud was Djokovic’s ticket to the finals, it also had a bigger picture. With the win, the Serbian marked his 1000th win on the tour. In the finals he faced Stefanos Tsitsipas…the rest is history.
Watch this story- Will Smith Shows How King Richard Cast Trained Like Serena and Venus Williams