After putting in a brilliant performance on the final day of the Indian leg of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), world number one Novak Djokovic said that he was eyeing the French Open title next year - the only major trophy missing from his cabinet after an impressive 2014.
"I have been pretty close to winning the French Open title and have played a few finals and semi-finals but I have a problem, his name is Nadal. He is not going away, that's for sure," he told reporters at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Monday as IPTL's India leg concluded.
"I'm going to push hard for it, I'm going to keep on trying each year. Hopefully I can keep on going, I have that self-belief, I know I can do it and hopefully by the end of my career I am going to get one trophy there."
Djokovic, who lost 5-6 to Roger Federer in a high-quality one-set match, said that he enjoyed his short stay in India and is hoping to come back soon.
"It's great to be here in India for the first time in my life. It's a short stay but I'm enjoying and it was a very unique and valuable experience for me. Their kindness and hospitality and generosity striked me right away and I really look forward to come back next time...maybe next year for the IPTL.
Djokovic, whose team UAE Royals defeated Federer's Indian Aces 29-22 in the third leg, feels that the tournament is a success.
"The format is very good, it's fun, although it all happens very fast. So its a little bit strange for the player on the court to be rushed so much time wise, that can be adjusted. But, other than that, it's fun because you are part of the team and even though it's an exhibition event, we played some great tennis tonight. Roger and I, and I hope everybody who watched enjoyed as much as we did playing.
"The atmosphere is not like any official tennis tournament because many things are allowed which are not part of the rules on the tour. So you can have fun while still playing some good tennis."
Answering how tough the coming season is going to be, Djokovic said that it's very unpredictable and it's going to be hard to say who are the clear favourites to win a Grand Slam after the last two seasons of having four different Grand Slam winners.
"Marin Cilic, Stan Wawrinka and some other players have been challenging and winning against the best in the big event. The dominance of Roger and Rafa over the years was incredible and then Murray and myself; we got into the mix and us four have been winning most of the big events in last 7-8 years and now it's normal. There is a new generation of players who are able and who have the quality to win against the best and they have done that. It will be definitely an interesting year, the Serb concluded.
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