MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 26, 2025

Novak Djokovic

Press Conference

M. ARNALDI/N. Djokovic

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: First question for Novak.

Q. How do you feel at this moment, how do you explain this match?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, obviously after you lose a match you don't feel good, but I've had a few of these this year where I lose in the first round, unfortunately.

Yeah, I knew that it's going to be a really tough opening match for me in this tournament. Arnaldi is a really good player, quality player. I didn't have too many matches on clay. I did practice well, but it's completely different when you step out on the match court.

I think the positive thing is that I really enjoyed myself more than I have, you know, in the Monte-Carlo or some other tournament, so that's a good thing. But obviously still level of tennis is not where I would like it to be. But, you know, it is what it is. I lost to a better player.

Q. You mentioned before Monte-Carlo that you didn't have massively high expectations for that tournament, I just wonder what your expectations were for this one coming in?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Not big at all, to be honest. I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte-Carlo.

Kind of new reality for me, I have to say. You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament. It's a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it's kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face these kind of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments.

But, you know, that's, I guess, the circle of life and the career (smiling), eventually it was going to happen. Now I'm trying to, you know, use this as a driving force for the future. Obviously Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me. Which doesn't mean that I don't want to win here, of course I wanted to, but, you know, Grand Slams is where I really want to play the best tennis. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that in Roland Garros, but I'll do my best.

Q. Tough luck today. You touched on what I was going to ask, but I wanted you to elaborate a bit, compared to the challenges that you faced in your career, what is your perspective, especially entering the season, on this type of challenge? Like, how are you, how is it manifesting in your mind?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you can imagine, I mean, 20 years, you know, I didn't experience what I'm experiencing in the last 12 months. So, you know, early exits and, you know, way too many. But it is part of the sport, and you have to accept the circumstances and try to make the best out of the circumstances in your favor for whatever is coming up.

Yeah, I mean, look, I cannot sit here and complain about my career or anything, you know, I'm not doing that. But it's a different feeling that I just have to embrace, accept, and deal with in a special way.

Q. To follow-up on that, I mean, it's tough for us to imagine Novak Djokovic coming to a tournament not thinking he can win it, for you it must be, I mean, unbearable.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I always, you know, of course I'm always trying to be optimistic, and I know what I'm capable of. But again, things are different, obviously, with my strokes, with my body, with my movement, it's the reality that I have to accept. I'll try to make the most out of these new circumstances that I have, particularly on Grand Slams, where it counts the most for me, at least where I would like to do my best. So let's see what happens.

Q. You are healthy, wealthy, more experienced, but do you have any pressure to win another Grand Slam, or it's just, if it happens, it happens?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I mean, look, pressure is part of the sport and part of what we do on this highest level, so it's never going to go away, you know, it's just different kind of pressure. But every time I step on the court I feel the nerves, I feel stress, I feel everything that I guess all the other players feel, and excitement as well. So, still like to compete, it became a bit more challenging for me, to be honest.

But of course, as I said, I'll do my best for the future. Grand Slam, I'm not going into Roland Garros as one of the main favorites. Maybe that can help, I don't know, we'll see.

Q. You have won everything, 24 Grand Slams, the gold medal that you didn't have, and I would like to ask, I don't know, it's very difficult to answer it now, but I would like to ask you if you think you have played your last match here in Madrid today?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It could be. It could be. I'm not sure if I will come back. So, I don't know, I don't know what to say. I mean, I'll come back, maybe not as a player, of course. I hope it's not, but it could be.