Novak Djokovic plays his opener in the Manolo Santana Stadium on Saturday against Italy\u2019s Matteo Arnaldi on his return to the Caja Magica after a three-year absence. Beforehand, the Serb took to the mic at Jaime Leal\u2019s \u2018Iguales\u2019 podcast and once again gave some very intriguing answers.<\/p>\n
One of the big topics the conversation touched upon was the\u00a0expectations and pressure\u00a0Nole puts on himself. Many players manage to enjoy themselves, play their best tennis and achieve their goals by relaxing and taking some of the pressure off their shoulders. Nole, though, is built differently. Nole needs that pressure. He is a competitive animal in every sense: \u201cA long time ago I accepted that that\u2019s just me, I have to demand more of myself every day. That will always be the case and I\u2019m not going to be able to get away from that pressure. It doesn\u2019t always have to be negative. With time you learn how to handle it on and off the court. Every stage of life is different and it presents you with new situations you have to deal with. It\u2019s a challenge and that\u2019s fun to me. It\u2019s almost a philosophy of life to embrace the new challenges life throws at you. It\u2019s easy to talk about it sitting here in a comfortable chair, but the reality is that when you\u2019re on court sometimes you\u2019re freaking out. The emotions and thoughts sometimes defeat you. Other times you manage to turn that around, it\u2019s a constant internal battle. The hardest job is defeating yourself\u201d, he explained.<\/p>\n
Nole also took some time to talk about\u00a0Alcaraz\u2019s statements\u00a0and his own vision of his goals and the search for happiness: \u201cI completely agree with everything Carlitos has been saying.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019s very young, but he has a very good base, good roots, family, values, etc. And of course, he\u2019s an incredible athlete. He has the full package. He still has a lot of time ahead and it will be challenging on and off the court. That\u2019s part of his journey and he seems to have the right approach in terms of that balance between winning and finding happiness in the rest of his life\u201d.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0rivalry between the two players\u00a0has produced some thrilling encounters: \u201cThe first time we played was here in Madrid with an electric atmosphere. I already knew, but I experienced first-hand that day that he has something special. I\u2019m impressed at how he handles the pressure and nerves at difficult moments. He beat me 7-6 in the final set and then he beat me in a Wimbledon final where I was leading. It\u2019s amazing how he plays his best tennis when it\u2019s needed. Those are the traits of a champion. This is just the beginning, which is scary!\u201d.<\/p>\n
Nole has been working with\u00a0Andy Murray\u00a0since the start of the year. The 24-time Grand Slam champion explained why he chose the Scot: \u201cAndy is one of the most professional people I know in terms of nutrition, fitness, recovery… also he knows all the players in every generation that I play. So I valued that and I didn\u2019t hesitate to ask him to work with me. We\u2019ve known each other for many years, more as rivals than friends, but I thought we\u2019d understand each other perfectly. Now I know him as a person in private and I love his personality and the way he thinks. I\u2019m happy about the decision to include him\u201d.<\/p>\n
In the build-up to the\u00a0Copa del Rey final, which takes place on Saturday in Spain, the Serb didn\u2019t want to stick his neck out: \u201cDon\u2019t ask me that question now… I love football and I\u2019ll watch the match. They\u2019re both great teams, I\u2019m a bit more of a Madrid fan, but it\u2019s true that maybe Bar\u00e7a is the slight favourite. But it\u2019s football and anything can happen\u201d, concluded the Serbian legend.<\/p>\n