TENNIS: No satisfaction or enjoyment as Djokovic relieved after 'ugly' Wimbledon win

LONDON — Novak Djokovic said he was relieved to grind out a hard-fought victory over Roman Safiullin and book his place in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Sunday, but admitted the “ugly” win was far from enjoyable for him on Centre Court.

The Serb saved set points and edged a tight opening set in a tiebreak before eventually overcoming his 132nd-ranked opponent in four sets on a hot day at the All England Club.

“To be honest, I haven’t felt really great on the court, so I was relieved to get out of it and get a win,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference.

“Satisfaction and enjoyment weren’t part of today’s win. Of course, I’m relieved and happy to win it, but I haven’t enjoyed it. Hopefully the next match will be better in that sense.”

Djokovic said the consistent pressure from Safiullin contributed to his struggles throughout the match.

“I struggled to find the game, the desired level I’m looking for, that I had, I think, in the second round,” he said. “But a win is a win, even if you win ugly. Hopefully I can build from this.”

“I’ve been fortunate to play many matches on the highest stage of Grand Slams. My memory is not really good these days. I’m trying to think about which Grand Slams I had a similar experience and still ended up winning.”

“There’s been more than a few where you go through a difficult match or two on the path to winning a championship. I’m a perfectionist at the core. I always want the best game, the best performance for myself, the crowd, and everyone watching.”

“It’s not always possible, and sometimes it’s hard for me to accept that and deal with it.”

MATCH-WIN MILESTONE NOT A PRIORITY

The victory marked Djokovic’s 106th Wimbledon match win, moving him ahead of Roger Federer in the all-time list. However, the 39-year-old said the milestone meant little to him at this stage of his career.

“I haven’t thought about it. I didn’t even know about it until after the match,” he said. “That’s really quite insignificant to me at the moment.”

Djokovic will next face either third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a place in the semifinals.

For now, he said recovery remains his top priority as the tournament progresses.

“The amount of time I spend recovering nowadays is more than I’ve ever done. It’s just the demands on the body, more wear and tear,” Djokovic said.

“I can’t say I always enjoy it. It takes away a lot of time, but it’s part of the process and adjusting to the body changes in the later years of my career.”

He added that he continues to explore various recovery methods, including hyperbaric chambers, cryotherapy, cold immersion, red light therapy, and pulsed electromagnetic therapies, as part of his routine to maintain peak performance.

-Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in London; Editing by Pritha Sarkar/Reuters