Belgrade (AFP)
Novak Djokovic won on Friday for his entry into the tournament in Belgrade, a week after his surprise loss to Daniel Evans in Monte Carlo.
Djokovic, who is preparing for Roland-Garos, scheduled for next month, dismissed South Korean Soonwoon Kwon (6-1.6-3) on the clay court of his hometown Belgrade on the pitches that bear his name .
The only downside, at 5-2 in the second set, the world No. 1 lost his throw-in during a brief slump.
"I played very well, I moved well, I varied my game well and served it made me feel good," he said in an online press conference after the match. .
Asked to comment on his poor performance in Monte-Carlo, his first defeat of the season, but also that of his great rival Rafael Nadal, "Nole" did not express concern "especially for 'Rafa' on clay".
"One or two games will not be a game-changer," when it comes to the Spaniard's dominance over ocher, he commented.
"We have probably made people think that we are able to play perfect tennis for the rest of our life, but that is not possible," said the world No.1, Australian Open winner. at the beginning of the year.
"We had a bad week, our opponents played well and winning is that easy," he said.
Novak Djokovic nevertheless concluded that if he can choose, he prefers a loss at the start of the season on clay so that he can "improve his game" in view of the other tournaments of the season.
Djokovic will face Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarter-final of the Serbia Open on Friday.
© 2021 AFP