Tout n'est pas parfait, mais Novak Djokovic est bien au troisième tour de Wimbledon. Quelques semaines après son opération au genou, c'est déjà un exploit pour le numéro 2 mondial. Ce jeudi, il s'est difficilement débarrassé du local Jacob Fearnley, wild-card et 277e mondial. Le Serbe a lâché un set mais s'est imposé 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5. Le Britannique s'est bien battu mais la mission était trop complexe. Djoko n'a qu'une seule défaite contre un joueur hors du Top 100 au compteur : à Hertogenbosch en 2006, contre le Tchèque Jan Hernych. Prochain défi : Alexei Popyrin, pour un remake du 2e tour de l'Open d'Australie.
Vidéo : @Wimbledon
Vidéo : @Wimbledon
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00:00Yeah, credit to him for playing a really great match, I thought.
00:12He fought, he kept believing even though he was two sets down and a breakdown.
00:20Yeah, he got the crowd involved. I dropped my level.
00:24I think I should have done some things better in the third set to finish it off.
00:28But, yeah, very challenging conditions today.
00:31Very, very windy and not easy to find the right tempo and the right rhythm on the ball.
00:40But, yeah, I think I just did enough to win there in the fourth.
00:46I was a bit lucky to really get out of the trouble, not to go breakdown.
00:50And, you know, hopefully I can raise the level in the upcoming rounds.
00:55Hi, Nova. Oftentimes players come back from an injury and they're nervous.
00:59They're worried about re-injuring it or what step they might take.
01:04Did you feel that at all today?
01:07No, not really.
01:09But I do feel that has an impact on my movement a little bit in terms of, like, the speed.
01:15It's not yet there where I want it to be.
01:18I'm kind of late on the balls that I'm normally not late on.
01:23So that's the part which I guess comes with matches.
01:27So the longer I stay in the tournament, I think the better the chances that I will move.
01:32My movement will improve.
01:35So the earlier rounds is where I'm still a little bit rusty on the movement, I think.
01:40That's what I felt today at least.
01:43But, yeah, I don't worry about re-injuring my knee.
01:49I don't have time nor energy to think about it, nor do I think it's worth it, you know.
01:55I wouldn't be here unless I think that, or not just myself,
01:59but the whole team that I'm ready to compete at this level.
02:05Can I ask you about your next opponent?
02:08You played in Australia.
02:09So you saw Courtney Walsh, Fox Sports Australia.
02:11You played earlier this year in Australia.
02:14What are your thoughts there?
02:16Yeah, so he won in a five-set thriller today.
02:21Big serve, big forehand, you know.
02:23He loves that serve plus forehand play.
02:27We had a good match, very good match in Australia.
02:30I think he improved his backhand a lot and his movement.
02:33That was maybe not as good in the past, but becoming a very complete player
02:40and tall guy, he's not afraid to come and finish the point at the net.
02:47And, you know, if he serves well, it's very tough to play anybody on the grass that serves as good as he serves.
02:54So, yeah, I guess one of the keys will be, I guess, in that match,
03:01you know, how good I will be able to read his serves and get it back in play,
03:06you know, make him work for his points.
03:09And on my end, serve well as well.
03:11So, yeah, let's see.
03:13I'm expecting, obviously, a tough challenge.
03:16Jumane.
03:17Congrats.
03:18I'm curious, what are your first memories of Andy?
03:23And, like, when you first, you know, saw him and played against him when you were younger.
03:27And do you ever, like, reflect on how, I guess, weird it is that you spend so much of your life,
03:32like, playing with or being around, not just Andy, but these players, like, on fees?
03:37Like, it's a lot of your life.
03:39Yeah, exactly.
03:40I mean, the first time I met Andy, I was 12.
03:43So, I mean, we go very back, very long way back.
03:47And, you know, we were never too close on the tour because it's difficult, you know, your rivals.
03:56But we always had tremendous respect for each other and shared the stage, so to say, for, you know, many, many years.
04:05I think there is only maybe one week difference in age.
04:10So, our trajectory to the professional tour and top of the men's game is pretty similar.
04:20I mean, you know, not much was separating our careers, you know, and we played some incredible matches all over the world,
04:32finals of different Grand Slams, all Grand Slams, actually.
04:37I played him in finals of all Grand Slams, which I think maybe could be the only player that I faced in finals of all Grand Slams.
04:43Maybe Rafa as well, I'm not sure.
04:46But, yeah, he's definitely one of the three guys other than Roger and Rafa that really has impacted my career and my growth as a tennis player a lot.
05:02So, if this is his last match, obviously, it's, you know, it's sad that he's not able to finish in his own terms in singles,
05:12but playing alongside his brother is probably even more emotional for everyone, for him, for them, for the family,
05:20for this tournament, for the tennis in general.
05:23So, I do wish him, you know, all the best in his farewell.
05:30But I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to come back again.
05:32You know, he's an incredible competitor.
05:35Just the resilience that you can definitely study and teach young athletes.
05:45You talked about wanting to raise your level.
05:47You mentioned the way in which the knee is preventing you from being 100%.
05:53Just wondering, are there other ways you might already have in mind, other ways, areas in which you can improve as you want to keep getting better as the tournament moves forward?
06:05And would you ever watch either Tuesday's match or today's match to see if there's anything you can pick out that maybe you could fix or change or improve?
06:17I always do.
06:18I don't watch the entirety of the length, full length of the match, but I do watch highlights.
06:25I do watch specific moments where I thought I've done well or moments where I haven't done so well and just try to analyze that myself.
06:34And then, of course, with my team members and draw some conclusions and take it to the practice court and really work on it.
06:45First part of your question, the answer is just play as many matches as possible.
06:51As the tournament progresses, as I said, the more matches I have, the better the chance I'll have to feel more comfortable moving around and gain that speed, agility, change of direction, that freedom that I'm looking for.
07:13Really, I had it in certain moments today and certain moments in the first match, but then it's still not there, which is in a way expected than normal.
07:25You know, when you come back from the surgery and then, you know, body's trying to understand what's going on.
07:32And very early after surgery, you're already competing at the highest level.
07:35So on a surface that is, again, slippery and kind of have to be careful with the way you move at times.
07:42But I'll take this any day of the week, you know, comparing to the to the pain that thankfully I'm not feeling.
07:52So, you know, I'm not feeling the pain, but I'm, you know, struggling a little bit with movement.
07:58And that's fine. That's something that is workable.
08:01I mean, I can work at work on it on a daily basis.
08:03And but it's going to have the biggest effect on matches.
08:09You know, the more matches, the more those type of situations I have, the better I will play and move.
08:14Last in English.
08:17How did the sensations in your knee change from day to day on and off the court?
08:22As I said, I didn't experience any pain today.
08:30The first match I did have one or two situations, but today none, which is great.
08:39And my knee has been responding really well in the days off as well.
08:46So I haven't had any swelling, inflammation. So that's great.
08:50The muscles around it contracting and getting sore more than usual because they're compensating and protecting the knee, which is normal.
08:58So there's more work on those muscles.
09:01And maybe because they're sore, they're also not really giving me that kind of dynamic speed and power that I need and want to have.
09:11But it's all part of the process in the opening days.
09:15So, as I said, the first two or three matches is probably something that I have to accept as part of the process.
09:25And hopefully I can go through and then build from there.