Novak Djokovic, world ranking leader, was more than an hour late at the press conference prior to the ATP Finals, which was scheduled for 16:30 and started around 17:31. The Serbian spoke about the tournament, but extended more to discuss the current situation of tennis and the new association of players that he chairs, the PTPA.
Farewell from London: “The O2 has been a very successful venue in this tournament in the last 12 years and in the history of the event. And in addition to the titles that I have achieved here, I have played great matches against Roger and Rafa. It will be strange to play without an audience, but we are already used to that this year, so it will be more natural now. We have to be very grateful to be able to play here this year even without an audience. “
No pressure: “Entering the tournament knowing that I am going to finish as number one for the year relieves me of pressure, but I want to win every game I play and win this tournament. So I hope to finish the course in the best possible way and that the success I have had here in the last ten years it helps me to be more comfortable and more confident in my game. “
Tokyo 2021: “I hope there will be Games and that there will be an audience, because it is very difficult to imagine a Games without spectators. I have planned to be there and obviously it is on my calendar for 2021.”
The group: “I played against Diego indoors for the first time, I had already done it outside, but here the conditions are different. He has also taken pressure off this year, because he is in great shape and is probably in the best season of his career. He deserves to be here. I have a lot of respect for him, he is a great guy, a fierce competitor, one of the rapids on the circuit, very solid with forehand and backhand, it is very difficult to pass him … I have to be patient and try at the same time. to dictate the game. Zverev and Medvedev are in the best possible shape indoors, the best of all of us who come here, I think. They are tall, they have good service, they have weapons from the back of the court, they are very complete and with similar styles. I'll have to do my best to beat them. “
Uncertain situation: “I share the concerns of the ATP, the WTA and the Grand Slams, of all of us who are involved in the tennis ecosystem. The worst thing is that next season is unpredictable. It is not in our hands now what happens, but in the of the governments of the countries. There are constant negotiations, financial issues. For tennis it has been great to be able to compete with the best. But those who are below in the ranking, from 500 to below, are suffering a lot and need help to provide tournaments and be able to compete for a living. It is a very complex situation. I think we need to communicate better with the players, the tournaments, the tournament owners, the federations … to see what we need and share some ideas to may tennis be prosperous. “
The PTPA: “We are talking to a lot of players at different levels, like Serena and Sloane, but also lower ranked to see how we form a new structure taking into account how unstable everything is now in terms of the schedule. We are also in talks with the ATP and what We will do with the WTA to see how the PTPA is integrated into the ecosystem. We do not want to have an aggressive approach as has been said. We want players of all levels to be heard and their problems taken into account, especially since hundreds of Players complain about the current system. We have to see how players can benefit from tennis, to be able to participate more and be able to make a living from that. There are objectives and the first thing is to position oneself. It is a long way. I understand that there is criticism, because people he wonders if this is the right move or if it is a way to divide tennis. But for us it is not like that, our value and our essence is to improve “.
Medvedev: “The three defeats last year don't affect me”
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev stated at a press conference that the three defeats he suffered last year, including one against Rafael Nadal, will not affect him in this edition of the Finals
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The Russian gave up all of his group stage matches in 2019 and failed to qualify for the semi-finals, despite dominating a 5-1 match against Nadal in the third set.
“I was upset for two weeks to lose that match with Nadal, but it is something that happens in tennis. I had to forget it and learn from it. It is not something to be depressed about,” Medvedev said. “The three defeats last year do not affect me here,” he said. On how having recently won the 1,000 Masters at Paris-Bercy will help him, Medvedev pointed out that “a confidence boost before London is always good” and that he has a lot of faith in himself. “It is not possible to play like in Paris all year, but I have to work to try to be like that for longer,” analyzed the Russian.
Zverev: “I'm not playing better because of what happens outside”
Tennis player Alexander Zverev denied that his latest results on the circuit have been influenced by the problems he experiences off the court in his personal life. The German player has been accused by an ex-girlfriend of mistreatment, while another ex-partner recently announced that the 23-year-old tennis player is going to be a father.
As these accusations came to light, Zverev won two tournaments in Cologne and reached the final of the Masters 1,000 in Paris-Bercy, but the Hamburg man denied that he was spurred on by what happened off the track. “No, I've been playing well since the season started. At a good level. I'm just happy to be able to play tennis,” he said at a press conference prior to his debut in the ATP Finals.
“Now the focus has gone to what is happening off the track. I can only deny the accusations, which are not true. In our relationship we had better moments and worse moments, but it has not been as has been described in the media. . I'm not like that, “he added when asked about the alleged mistreatment. Regarding the tournament itself, in which he will debut on Monday in a night session against Daniil Medvedev, Zverev said “I still want to play here” and pointed out that it will be a special year because it is the last in London before moving to Turin.