Djokovic: "At 39 years old, everything becomes more difficult"

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And surely more than one was scared to see Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard winning the first set against Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, but that was only a mirage. The outcome of the match would end up being what everyone expected.

This start of the tournament at Roland Garros might even be good for Novak Djokovic, his fourth tournament of the season and only the second on clay. After falling in his Rome debut, now the Serbian needs to get into rhythm during this first week, compelled to accumulate minutes on the court if he wants to reach the second week of the competition with the assurance of competing with the best. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is not the ideal opponent for this plan, although at least it has allowed the Balkan player to be on the court for four sets and achieve his first victory of the year on this surface. These were his words after the victory.

Djokovic is now the player with the most Grand Slam tournaments played

"The truth is that I'm not very aware of the number of participations I've had, but it's a great stat. Once on the court, the reality is that it was a very tough match, especially mentally. I had to keep my nerves under control at crucial moments, something I couldn't do in the first set."

Reaction after the first set

"After that, things went well; from that point on, I was able to anticipate my opponent's movements much better. In the initial stage, I didn't have a chance; Giovanni's serve is one of the most tremendous in terms of precision and speed that I've encountered in my career. Sometimes you just have to hope and be lucky; no one wants to face him in the draw, to be honest. If he can improve some aspects, he could have a very bright future."

Winning matches at 39 years old

"As the years go by, everything becomes harder, of course. For me, it's probably not the best strategy to come here to play Roland Garros, where I can expect these kinds of battles in each round. In fact, it wasn't part of the plan, but it's a situation I had to accept due to the circumstances; it is what it is."

Ready to fight until the end

"I had to prepare thoroughly to get here to Paris, a place where I always tried to come and do well. Now it remains to be seen how my body reacts, but I also have to find the game I want, although I know this is part of the process."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Djokovic: “Con 39 años, todo se vuelve más difícil"