Roland-Garros: "I cannot say that I am the greatest in history", assures Djokovic

A Roland-Garros

Preparation for the match: "With my team, we wondered what was the priority after the semi-final and we all agreed: the biggest priority was to recharge my batteries, recover and have the most possible hours of rest, treatment, exercise. Yesterday (Saturday), I had parental obligations, I spent time in the forest, surrounded by nature. I love going for walks in national parks or in the woods, having those quiet moments. I watched the Champions League final (Manchester City's 1-0 win over Inter Milan, editor's note). I slept well. I did all the activities that are part of my routine to rest well, to prepare myself well for the match.

His victory against Ruud: “When I saw his forehand coming out, I felt so relieved, I was overwhelmed with incredible emotions. I am very happy and very proud. When I got to the game, I knew there was history that needed to be written. I was trying to focus my attention and my thoughts on how to prepare myself in the best possible way to win, like any other game. Of course, if I say that I didn't think about the finish line that could await me, that would allow me to win a historic trophy, I would be lying. My team has created a nice bubble around me. We did a great job of staying in the moment and having the game we wanted.”

Casper Ruud: “He's one of the hardest working players on the circuit. He deserves his success. He's one of the most consistent players we've had in the past five years. It's unfortunate for him to lose his third Grand Slam final. I'm sure it's not his last. He will better answer your questions about what he needs to do to win a Grand Slam.”

The question of the GOAT, the best player in history: "I've already said that I prefer to leave this discussion to other people, because there are a lot of people talking, and it's good for our sport to have this historic discussion, but of course I have a lot of confidence in myself. For me, on a daily basis, I am the best on the pitch, because with this mindset, it is the only mindset that can lead to historic results and this trophy. Afterwards, the statistics are there, but we have a lot of different factors. It depends on the point of view of a person or the organizations discussing these things. So I don't want to get into those discussions. I write my own story.”

His place in history: "I don't want to say I'm the greatest because, and I've said this before, it's a disrespect to all the great champions from different eras of our sport who have been played in a different way from what we do today. I have great faith and confidence in myself for all that I am, who I am, what I am capable of accomplishing. This trophy is another confirmation of the quality of tennis that I am still able to produce on the court. I said it at the start of the season, Grand Slams are the highest priority on my to-do list, not just for this whole season but for all seasons, especially at this stage of my career. If someone had told me that I was going to win the first two Grand Slams of the year, I would have signed immediately.

His clay-court season before Roland-Garros: "When I arrived at Roland-Garros, my results on clay were not very good, I was not playing well, I had no good performances in tournaments on clay before Paris. When I arrived here, I felt different, in a positive way. I felt I had a good chance against anyone in the best of five sets. I knew most of the players felt a lot of pressure in those five-set, three-set winner matches against me. That's exactly how I wanted them to feel."

Winning the 23rd at Roland-Garros: "It's symbolic in a way that I won my historic 23rd title at Roland-Garros. It makes things even sweeter and bigger, when you know what it means to win Roland-Garros for me. Of course, that doesn't take anything away from winning the other Grand Slams. For me, Roland-Garros is the highest mountain to climb in my career. That's why it's even more satisfying."

On Wimbledon (July 3-16): “I always feel motivated, always inspired to play the best tennis, especially at Grand Slams. These are the tournaments that matter most in the history of our sport. I look forward to playing Wimbledon.”

His family: “We had a few wars, Serbia was under an embargo. I couldn't travel for a lot of junior tournaments. So there was a lot of adversity. These were very difficult times for everyone in my country. My family had very little money, but my parents still decided to support me in my dream of becoming a professional tennis player, winning Wimbledon and being world No. The probability that I would succeed was very low. I had the chance to meet very important people who had an impact on my journey as a professional athlete and who helped me to develop in a very positive way as a human being. My mother is a rock, an incredible woman, who held the family together in the most difficult times. My dad is an incredible driving force for the family, someone who instilled in me such power of conviction, strength of conviction and positive thinking to achieve goals that are beyond anything anyone could imagine. I had met. He was so convinced, because he had never played tennis. He asked experts, people who knew the field and sport of tennis to find out if I had a talent or potential if he should invest money in me.

Statements taken at a press conference