Novak Djokovic bounced back to winning ways and said he is “finding joy” on the court after beating Rinky Hijikata in the opening round of the Miami Open. Djokovic advanced to the second round with a commanding 6-0, 7-6 (1) win over the Australian and will next face Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the third round.
This marks Djokovic’s first singles win since he retired mid-way through the Australian Open semifinal match against Alexander Zverev. The Serb suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of action for nearly a month before making a comeback at the Qatar Open.
However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has struggled for form, losing to Matteo Berrettini in his opening match at the Qatar Open before making an early exit at the Indian Wells Masters. Seeded sixth, Djokovic was beaten in three sets by Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
Djokovic needed a win to gain momentum and did just that against Hijikata. Speaking to Tennis Channel after his commanding performance, Djokovic said he continued to find joy on the tennis court.
“If I’m feeling and playing the way I did today, it’s a pleasure and I have joy. I find joy on the court regardless of where I am. And then I want to keep going for as long as I have that feeling. It’s not going to be there every match, but as long as I have that feeling of being able to compete with the guys at the highest level, I’ll keep going. You know what I mean? So the desire is there, the support of the closest people in my life is there. Let’s see how far I can go,” said Novak Djokovic.
The former World No. 1 was asked if desire and health were the most important things for him at this stage of his career. He replied:
“If we have to boil it down to two things, then yes, staying healthy, which I’ve done pretty well for most of my career, but my body is not the same. It was 15 years ago, so I have to put in more time in taking care of it, but also taking care of my psychological state and trying to get up in the morning and feel motivated to keep going and push.”
“I’m very pleased with the way I felt and played on the court”: Novak Djokovic after Miami Open 2R win
Novak Djokovic was all smiles as he snapped a three-match losing streak. The 37-year-old, the only male tennis player ever to achieve a triple Career Grand Slam, said he was satisfied with how he got the job done against Rinky Hijikata.
“I had two weeks since the last match that I played in Indian Wells, so I had plenty of time to work on my game…“I think that has positively reflected on my game today, particularly for set and a half, almost flawless tennis. I’m very pleased with the way I felt and played on the court,” said Djokovic (via atptour.com).
Djokovic has the most titles (99) among active players and is on the hunt for a record 100th singles title on the Tour.
“Miami, for sure. I’d love to celebrate the 100th win here…But let’s see, it’s a long tournament. Of course it encourages me knowing that I can play the way I played today, but it’s a long ride,” added Novak Djokovic.
The Serb, now coached by Andy Murray, will face Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the third round and hope to keep his winning momentum going and inch closer to that elusive 100th title.
