It was an eventful Saturday for Novak Djokovic, who added both a title and his coach to his tennis stable.
Three days before he will begin his Wimbledon campaign, Djokovic lifted his second ATP trophy of the season by beating Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4 in the AEGON International final. The top-seeded Serb broke Monfils three times and saved all three of the break points he faced to triumph in one hour and 16 minutes.
Highlights:
“I tried my best today,” Monfils assured. “I think he played very good; returned very good. Obviously in the first set he served very good. It was very tough to handle his first serve. I had some opportunities…. I think I played a tough match.”
“It was a great week,” reflected Djokovic, who took a late wild card into the tournament. “Obviously it feels right, looking back on the decision-making process and whether or not I should come here, now it feels like it was a good decision. But also a few days ago it felt right because I had a lot of time spent on the court, some good match play. But most of all, I felt very welcomed here by the people. On and off the court I was greeted; I was respected. So, for me, it was just a phenomenal experience that I will definitely take with me to Wimbledon.”
The three-time Wimbledon champion will also take another new coach to the All-England Club, as Mario Ancic is joining Andre Agassi in Djokovic’s box. Ancic, a former world No. 7, remains the last man to beat Roger Federer in the first round of a major (Wimbledon in 2002).
“He’s one of the closest friends I’ve ever had on the tour,” Djokovic said of the Croat. “He was always a very nice guy, very smart…. We always had that mutual respect and appreciation for one another. He was to be in London for his own commitments, so he’s going to use the opportunity to be with me. Whether we’re going to build from there a long-term relationship or not, we’ll see.”
[polldaddy poll=9780082]
how far will Djoker go?
I dunno I haven’t finished picks yet. Only on second round. My guess is not that far lol