Dusan Lajovic qualified for the second round of the ATP tournament in Belgrade, after defeating the Argentinian Marijan Navone in the first round today, 2:0 in sets 6:0, 7:6 (7:3). The match lasted an hour and 25 minutes.
The Serbian player won the first set convincingly, as he took away his opponent’s serve three times, while in the second set he had to fight for victory through a tie-break.
Dusan Lajovic played it safely, like last year in Banja Luka, although now it is a different surface.
“I don’t know if it resembles Banjaluka, but the victory is important for me. I got injured and it seemed like I was done for the season. I managed to recover and play a few tournaments, honestly if this week wasn’t in Belgrade I would have already finished the season. It is an honor to play in front of the home crowd,” said Dusan Lajovic.
The Serbian player also looked back on the fantastic first that he took with a convincing 6:0.
“I didn’t expect such a good set. Really perfect. In the second, I missed a couple of chances at the start, and then my rival relaxed a bit, which led to a tie-break. I managed to save a few set points. I think that’s even better than if I won this match without any issues. Then I managed to cancel those moments under pressure. In important moments, I felt that I was missing playing matches. An important win for me, regardless of the fact that it is the end of the season. I expect to continue in this rhythm, I felt good at the moment, I didn’t care about the wrist”.
Lajovic also spoke about his plans for the next season.
“I haven’t set myself a goal for next year yet, I will commit to my plans only after the break. Somehow this season has been up and down. The injury disrupted me, it happens, it’s a standard thing in sports. I lost only four weeks, plus a few more while I got into the rhythm, but I’m finishing the season in good shape, I’ll be fully ready for the new one,” Lajovic concluded.
