Aside the great play Kevin Anderson performed we talked about yesterday, analyses partly point to Novak not having freshness and concentration as one of the reasons of his failure in first match at Miami Open.
Novak talking about loss of concentration leading 2:0 in the final set when the time violation warning came (Novak took too much time to tap the ball before serving): 'I didn't focus myself in that moment. Obviously, the time violation and a lot of different things affected on my service game loss. But, you know, that's okay. It's all part of the game'.
'During one long-exchange of shots during last game, my shoe lace was broken. Of course I won't look for excuses for it. Kevin deserved to win. I tried to lift myself after losing first game but it was obvious I had not freshness for it'.
Novak looked back on his physical condition after the exhausting week before in Indian Wells and everything that followed after the winning ceremony: 'Well, I tried to recover, but obviously I was a little bit tired from the start. But it was okay, you know. I could play, but the thing is that I didn't know the way he's playing. It was our first meeting, and I never saw him playing before'.
'He surprised me with the way he was serving. I wasn't moving on my returns good enough, and obviously that resulted in easy service games. He was winning too easy in the first set his service games, and I wasn't aggressive enough. Then when I needed to use my chances in the third set, I made some unforced errors which were really crucial'.
'I made some unforced errors and I was maybe going for too much. Obviously, he's really tall, and with that height you expect him not to move so well. But he obviously has a good coordination. He has a good feel for the ball. So he's a good player'.
Kevin: 'I don't know what to say. I only tried to give myself a chance to win. I kept telling myself I can do and I need to believe in it. Knowing what kind of player Novak is and everything what he accomplished, this is an amazing experience for me. I can compete with the best players in the world. I proved that to myself, regardless if my opponent is in or out of form'.
Novak said he does not consider he was involved in too much off-court activities in between the tournaments to cause him not take enough rest. Novak did not know anything about Kevin prior to the game nor ever saw him play.
Looking for the 'positive' side in it all, Novak said: 'The good thing about this loss is that I can get a bit longer period of preparation and vacation as well'. Novak will now have more than 2 weeks of rest until April 14th and the tournament in Estoril Portugal when clay season officially begins.
