Novak Djokovic rounded off his preparations for the French Open by ending his long wait for a 100th career title at the Geneva Open in Switzerland. The Serb didn’t have it all his own way, though, with Djokovic needing two tiebreaks to defeat Hubert Hurkacz in the final.
Speaking during his on-court debrief, Djokovic, addressing Hurkacz said: “I know it’s tough to have a bitter taste in the mouth, to lose the match like this. I’m sorry for that. You were definitely for most of the match a better player. But I want to give you huge credit for playing some amazing tennis this week.
“Obviously, I know how it feels to be injured with the knee. It’s definitely a big challenge to come back, you managed to keep your comeback short. I wish you all the best in Paris, in London. I really enjoyed playing you, but maybe shorter matches in the future would be nice [laughing], just a bit less stress.”
By this point, Hurkacz who was watching on, was beginning to well up. Djokovic continued: “Again, thank you for being inspirational to me and all of us as a human being. Most of all, you’re an amazing player, all of the Tour knows how good of a person you are. All of the people here [pointing to the crowd], who maybe don’t know you too well, deserve to know how good you are and how kind and respectful you are. A credit to your family and team.”
Reflecting on what would’ve been his first-ever win over Djokovic, Hurkacz said: “Firstly, congratulations to Novak.”
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