Novak Djokovic

After his second round loss to Marat Safin, Novak Djokovic was asked--in his post-match press conference--about his change in brand of shoes, which we've been monitoring very closely.

Djokovic, in answering the question, seems to confirm our earlier report that he made the switch because of slipping on the grass surface:

Just an observation, but you didn't appear to be wearing your normal brand of shoe today. Do you have an issue with the grass?

Djokovic: Yeah, I have issue with the grass. I was wearing another brand of the shoe. This was agreement between adidas and myself. I had a lot of difficulties with the movement, especially in Queen's this year, and even in the past years. I just tried to make ‑‑ we just tried to have agreement and the best possible solution. So I thank them for the support, because it was a big step for all of us. A bit risky, but it was the only way that I could imagine myself far in the tournament. This was the difference that I felt that we can improve on.

Because you had the problem last year that forced you to withdraw?

Djokovic: Yeah, that was one of the reasons.

So questions still remain. Djokovic withdrew from last year's Wimbledon semifinal match against Rafael Nadal because of a bad toe and a lower back problem. If the shoe was one of the reasons that contributed to his foot problem from last year, why wasn't he custom fitted for grass court shoes by adidas?

Questions?  Comments? 

Tools:

PrintEmail Del.icio.us Digg It

Next Post

Previous PostBack to Main Page