Novak Djokovic kicked off his 2022 Serbia Open campaign successfully when he defeated Laslo Djere in front of the home crowd at Novak Tennis Center in Belgrade.
The win didn't come easily for the Serbian when he had to fight for more than 3 hours on the court. World number 1 was only two points away from losing the match, but he showed his experience and triumphed on the home soil.
Novak Djokovic will play his quarterfinal match against Miomir Kecmanovic on Thursday. After the match, the Serbian admitted that he still feels nervous when he plays in his own tennis center in his home town, even after so many years of experience.
"I liked the way I managed to physically hold on and push through and survive a thriller of almost three-and-a-half hours. That's the positive difference compared to Monte Carlo, where I just wasn't able to physically sustain the third set. Today, that was different. If there are positives, I think that's the one."
"Playing an official match in front of your crowd... you feel the great support, which I had, and I'm very grateful for that. But at the same time, it's not simple. Even after so many years of experience and playing many times in front of the home crowd, you still feel nervous."
As always, Djokovic didn't forget to praise his opponent who played a very good match and pushed the 20-time Grand Slam champion to the limit.
"I think Djere, for most of the match, was the better player. He was the one controlling the game. He was the one attacking. I didn't feel great again in terms of my game. I had a very bad match with my serve, kind of ups and downs really. It was a little bit [of a] strange feeling playing against another Serbian player, which will be the case again tomorrow. But I must say the crowd was outstanding."