• Australian Open

No fears of fatigue for Djokovic

ESPN staff
January 21, 2013
Novak Djokovic is one of the fittest players in the sport © AP
Enlarge

Novak Djokovic is confident he will suffer no adverse effects from his five-hour marathon with Stanislas Wawrinka when he takes on Tomas Berdych in the Australian Open quarter-final.

Djokovic was pushed all the way by Wawrinka before eventually prevailing 1-6 7-5 6-4 6-7(5) 12-10 after more than five hours on court.

The world No. 1 believes last year's Australian Open final demonstrates his superior recovery abilities - defeating Rafael Nadal after nearly six hours, having seen off Andy Murray in another five-setter in the semi-finals two days earlier.

"I've been in these situations before," Djokovic said. "I remember last year when I won against Murray in the semis after five hours, and then played against Rafa in almost six hours.

"I know I can recover. I know I have it in me. I'm not too much worried about the physical part. I was ready for it. I was ready to go the distance, and I've done so."

Djokovic has only lost to Berdych once in 12 previous encounters, but in grand slams the pair boast one win apiece after the Czech defeated Djokovic in straight sets in the 2010 Wimbledon semi-finals.

While Djokovic battled back from the brink to defeat Wawrinka, Berdych enjoyed relatively serene progress with a straight-sets victory over South Africa's Kevin Anderson in the fourth round.

"I would say I feel much better [than last year]," Berdych said. "Last year was a pretty big year for me. There were many new experiences that I learned. I hope that I'm going to be able to profit from that."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close