The dust had barely settled on Novak Djokovic's Australian Open victory
over Rafael Nadal and the Serbian was already talking up his chances at
Roland Garros.
Djokovic outlasted Nadal on Sunday in an epic five-set encounter
which lasted five hours and 53 minutes to make it the longest grand slam
final in history and the longest match ever staged at this tournament.
The
world number one, who retained the Melbourne title he won last year at
the start of a remarkable 12 months which also saw him win at Wimbledon
and the US Open, was then quick to turn his attention to the French
Open, the only major to so far elude him.
"I am prioritising the grand slams this year, as every year, and the Olympics," he said.
"That's also one of my highest goals. That
doesn't mean I'm not going to prepare well and perform my best at the
other tournaments but it's the grand slams that matter the most. So I want to do well and get to my first final at least in Paris. I have never been to the final there and I have a feeling that I am ready this year to achieve that."
Currently nothing seems unachievable for the 24-year-old.
The
victory over Nadal meant he became just the fifth man in history to
claim three successive grand slam crowns and the will-to-win displayed
here was remarkable.
He added: "You are in pain, you are
suffering, and you are trying to activate your legs, you're trying to
push yourself through another point, just one more point, one more game. You're
going through so much suffering your toes are bleeding. Everything is
just outrageous but you're still enjoying the pain. I am a professional tennis player and I am sure any of my colleagues would say the same: we live for these matches."
"We
work every day and are trying to dedicate our lives to this sport to
come to the situation where we play a near six-hour match for a grand
slam title."
Following his exertions here, the Serbian is going to take some time off.
"I am going to try to enjoy this victory as much as I can," he said.
"Then it is back to the office, back to work. There is much that awaits me but I should definitely enjoy the present."
Nadal may not have won the match but he felt there was a lot he could take away from Melbourne.
He has now lost his last seven matches with Djokovic but he felt this was as close as he has got in the previous six.
"I wanted to win but I am happy with how I did," he said.
"I had my chances against the best player in the world and I played one against one. I didn't play at a lower level than him and that's a positive for me. I am happy that I am on the right path."
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sources: espnstar.com
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