Djokovic: "This season has been one of the most special of my life"

champion of world champions

This season has been one of the most special of my life, not only in terms of results but with those records, the pandemic, and all that emotion on and off the court. And I'm glad that after blazing this path, 2021 is over.

Daniil played better than me that day. He was so clear with his game plan that he was executing wonderfully. Honestly, he didn't give me much of a chance (…) His serve was unpredictable, with a lot of variation, touching every corner. There was also an element concerning the energy in the game. Normally, when I come on the court in the big matches, I am not the favorite in the hearts of the spectators. I had prepared myself for this kind of atmosphere. And there, almost the whole stadium was behind me! I felt it as soon as I got on the court. I wasn't expecting it at all and was caught off guard.This different emotional feeling may have affected my playing.

I cried (in the middle of a game) first because of this incredible support. They were tears of joy. With all this love. Then those tears of joy became tears of sadness. Of course I wasn't going to give in but I had the feeling that it was getting very, very hard to win (…) The only thing I regret is not having cried earlier in the match. The liberation came too late! Because afterwards, I took his serve, won the next game, I'm not saying I was going to win the match, who knows? But hey, in life, I really believe that everything happens for a reason. Whether God, the universe, or whatever decides it's going to be like that on any given day.

a roller coaster season for many reasons. With the pandemic, everyone has lived a complicated period. But, for us, forced to travel to exercise our profession with regulations different in each country, it was very difficult to stay mentally "healthy" to maintain the routines that allow you to give the best of yourself

I know his older brother Misha well, we're from the same generation, we've played a lot of junior tournaments together. Misha came with her family, with Sasha (Alexander), to tournaments (…) I always made myself available to encourage her or give her advice. He always respected, admired, supported me during training. Our relationship was built that way. We talk a lot off the court. Among my biggest rivals, it is with him that I have the closest relations

I like his character. It gives everyone the image of "I am as I am, I am not copying anybody." It may sound confusing. We're more used to young people coming in and talking about the older ones, like "he's my idol, I want to be like him". But he is authentic and I like that (…) I would have hoped to kick their buttocks a few times this year in Tokyo or New York (he smiles), but we always end up joking about it. I love. This is the Next Gen rivalry: Zverev, Djokovic, Medvedev