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Djokovic: We played a fantastic match


 

Originally published on: 11/06/12 00:00

Rafael Nadal

"It's an honour but the most important thing is this tournament. It's unforgettable, one of the most special moments in my career."

“It is a real emotional day, winning another time here. Sure, the seventh is important because I am the player who has more today, but like I said yesterday: that’s after. For me, the important thing is to win Roland Garros even if it’s the first, second, third, or seventh [time].”

"I felt nervous after all the stoppages on Sunday. I wasn’t ready for the match until three minutes before we started today. Stopping the match on Sunday was clearly a good thing for me. The conditions weren’t right for a Grand Slam final.”

“I think my game naturally adapts very well to this surface. My movements are probably the right ones to play here, and my natural shot the right one for clay."

“How long will I go on? It is impossible to predict the future. I will be here for as long as my injuries don’t stop me playing and until I still have motivation and passion for what I am doing. Hopefully for a long time.”

Novak Djokovic

“He's definitely the best player in history on this surface and the results are showing that he's one of the best-ever players to play this game.”

"I feel really privileged to be in this position, being in the final at Roland Garros for the first time. I enjoyed the match, Rafa was the better player. I hope to come back next year and play even better."

“These matches make you feel like all the work that you put into it is worth [it]. You're living for this moment to play the final of any Grand Slam, and sometimes you win; sometimes you lose. I lost this time. But I believe that there are still many years to come, and hopefully I can come back stronger.”

“We almost played four hours. I thought we played a fantastic match where people hopefully enjoyed yesterday and today, and I was even surprised with the number of people who attended this match today.  It was a working day, but it was still a full stadium.”

“Things happen for a reason. I could have lost in this tournament earlier.”

“The chance was there to make history but that wasn’t the main thought in my head. I was just disappointed to lose the match.”

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.