Djokovic content to progress beneath media radar

Published on Wednesday 24 June 2009 23:12

FOURTH seed Novak Djokovic is happy to be under the radar as he bids to go one better than the semi-final appearance he made at Wimbledon two years ago.

The Serbian set up a third-round clash against America's Mardy Fish with a straight-sets victory over battling German qualifier Simon Greul yesterday – prevailing 7-5, 6-1, 6-4.

All the hype at Wimbledon has so far surrounded Roger Federer and Scot Andy Murray, and Djokovic is keen for it to stay that way so he can slip below the publicity radar and concentrate on his game.

"I am aware of my qualities," said Djokovic. "It is just that I don't want to create extra pressure on myself because I know how hard it is to deal with it. I am happy that people are not talking about me in this moment.

"I wish for that so I can really focus on my game and try to perform my best tennis possible. When I played this year's Australian Open, I had a lot of expectations as the defending champion. I felt a huge amount of pressure and I couldn't really deal with it the best way."

He knows Fish will present another tough challenge for him. The pair have met on a couple of occasions on the tour in recent years and Djokovic has edged them both.

"He's a big server and on any fast surface to play against him is a difficult match," he added. "You have to respect his achievements in the last couple of years, especially in the grand slams – he's playing really well.

"I can't rate myself as a favourite in that match, a big favourite, because he's been playing well. It is going to be interesting. The key on my side is going to be the return, if I'm going to be able to make him play more than he expects."