Novak Djokovic: 'Playing with Pete Sampras in Indian Wells was a thrill'
Novak Djokovic surprised the crowd on Saturday by pairing up with Pete Sampras in Indian Wells on the Stadium 1 to face the Tournament Director Tommy Haas and the seven-time Grand Slam singles winner John McEnroe. Before the match, Djokovic commented on how it feels like to play alongside Sampras: "It's a thrill to be with this legend on the court and of course to share the same side with my idol, I grew up watching him play so obviously it's a great thrill for me."
Haas revealed how he managed to hold the match: "We started making some calls and Novak was willing to come over. Pete was here for the (Milos) Raonic and Thiem match, and John is in town because he is making an announcement with BNP Paribas tomorrow. They all just said, 'How can I help?' And that shows what incredible people they are."
Just before that exhibition match, Roger Federer headed into the court to give an interview to Mary Joe Fernandez of ESPN speaking about Rafael Nadal withdrawal and the upcoming final against Dominic Thiem: “I'm just excited to be in another final here, to be quite honest. It's not the way I wanted to get there in a semi-finals walkover, but as we know, it's how it goes sometimes in tennis.”
Djokovic will now head to the Miami Open seeking more success after a disappointing singles run in Indian Wells having lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round. The German instead won't play in Miami.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2W4p6iz
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