Confident Djokovic ready for ‘fitness’ test in Astana

 

If you’re a Novak Djokovic supporter, you’ll be relieved to know he’s uninjured, heading to the next leg of the Astana Open with that dreaded Tel Aviv trophy.

 

“No,” he said in a Tuesday interview with ATP Media in Kazakhstan. “It’s the original size that stayed in Tel Aviv. We got a smaller replica. Better and more travel-friendly.”

 

Djokovic beat Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday’s final to get that gleaming silver trophy (it’s almost as wide and tall as his torso).

 

“Winning gives you confidence,” Djokovic said. “I haven’t played an official game for three months, so it’s been a while. I’m excited to play more.”

 

In fact, since winning his seventh Wimbledon title in July, he has only played in two Laver Cup matches against Tel Aviv. After winning four games in Israel, he will try to get better at the ATP 500 in Kazakhstan. The journey began on Wednesday with his first night match (6 pm local time) at the National Tennis Center against Chile’s Cristian Garin. The Serbian star has a 2-0 ATP Head2Head victory over Garin, most recently in straight sets at last year’s Wimbledon round of 16. Botic van de Zandschulp awaits the winner in the second round.

 

It’s a fresh start for the 21-time Grand Slam singles champion after a turbulent, chaotic season. A year ago, however, Djokovic couldn’t have been better.

 

He won the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon before finding himself victorious at the Grand Slams. He tried to join Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962, 1969) as the third man to achieve the feat, but Daniil Medvedev denied him at the US Open.

 

Still, Djokovic has won 55 of 62 matches at the end of the season and put himself in control of three games against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who found they both won. A record 20 Grand Slam titles. Things didn’t go so well.

 

Nadal started the year with victories at the Australian and French Opens, although the Serb cut the Spaniard’s lead to 22-21 by winning Wimbledon.

 

Djokovic said that despite having similar indoor hard courts, conditions in Astana are very different from those in Tel Aviv.

 

“Tel Aviv is fast, so if you serve well, the ball slides across the court, and you get a lot of free points,” said Djokovic, who served particularly well in Israel. “Here, it’s not a great asset. It’s hard to get into the pitch. You have to use clay strategies and build points.

 

“It’s going to be more physical.”

Although Djokovic has only played 34 games this year (28-6), he is the only one to have won the title at three different venues: Rome (clay), Wimbledon (grass), and Tel Aviv (hard). ATP Tour players.

 

“Consistently playing well on different venues is a huge success considering the small number of games I’ve played this year,” Djokovic said. “It’s always the goal of playing well in every way.”

 

Of course, his immediate goal is to win this edition of the Astana Open, but more significant challenges are ahead. Djokovic is currently ranked 15th at the Pepperstone ATP against Torino with just five weeks left in the regular season. If he stays within the top 20, he will earn a place at the Nitto ATP Finals based on his status as that year’s Grand Slam champion.

 

“Hopefully, I can accumulate some points and secure my place in Turin,” Djokovic said. “It’s a big goal to qualify at the end of the year.”