Aleksandar Kovačević, a Serb with an American passport, intrigued the tennis fans, especially after arriving in the Serbian capital. This is a player who is 26 years old, and is currently 101st on the ATP list, although he was ranked higher at the beginning of this year.
“The Belgrade Open tournament seems great to me; this is my first time in Belgrade after 18 years. The last time I was in Serbia was when I was 5 years old, I don’t remember anything from that period and that’s why it’s a special emotion to see the city again and to stay here with my parents. I didn’t play in the previous tournaments because they were played on clay, and I’m not very good on that surface”, said Aleksandar Kovacevic after his defeat in the match against Hamad Medjedovic. Hamad was better in both sets and defeated Kovacevic with a score of 7:6 (5), 6:4.
When asked how he was satisfied with the play in today’s tournament, Kovacevic answered:
“Hamad played like crazy today, both me and him served great. But today he was really good. He’s just like that, he’s talented and when he gets into a groove, I don’t know what to do against him. It was the same in Madrid. I congratulate him. I played as much as I could, the court is really fast.”
Kovacevic also referred to his encounter with Novak Djokovic, whom he says has been his idol since childhood.
“Novak has been my idol since I was 4 years old, because every match I watched was excellent, he always played well. I also remember the US Open, when he invited me for a joint workout. Then I got a wild card and lost. When I was preparing for a light stretching session the next day, I saw Novak approaching me and I was amazed. He told me that he watched my match, that it was a shame that I lost and asked me if I would like to work out with him. It was a great experience. I had the opportunity to see what he is like off the field.”
As far as the end of the season is concerned, Kovacevic says that in the coming period he will work on being constantly in shape.
“This week I played at a good level, but 4 months ago this was not the case. I have to find a way to be consistent. I don’t know what to do, it’s a new challenge for me, finding a way to always be at the same level. The same goes for Hamad, he played so well today that I felt like I was playing with Novak.”
