Novak Djokovic: 'I have to up my game if I want to go far'
Novak Djokovic was not fully pleased with his three-set win over Philipp Kohlschreiber in Monte Carlo. The Serb prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-4 and in a press conference he said: "That is the positive of today, for sure, for, you know, kind of hanging in there and fighting and grinding and trying to hold my serve and having an early break in the third. I lost my serve I think four games in a row in the second set, and that hasn't happened too many times in my life. I'm not a big server, but still, that's quite a lot. You know, I had ups and downs and in a way felt a bit rusty on the court. I had a tough opponent, of course. Philipp beat me in Indian Wells. It was a match that happened less than a month ago, so of course it was in the back of my mind a bit. I thought I should have maybe stepped in and played a bit more aggressive in the second set, but credit to him for mixing up the pace and playing well. I'll take this win.
You know, hopefully I can play slightly better in the next round, because if I want to go deep in the tournament, I definitely have to up my game. In a way it's good I got to spend two-and-a-half hours on the court in my first opening match in the clay court season. This surface is very demanding physically. Tactically, as well, you have to construct the point, be more patient, put more spin into the ball, which at times, for me, maybe from backhand side is not as natural."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2IJrDvo
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