Novak Djokovic will be looking to draw on one of his most fascinating qualities, his mental strength, when he takes on the huge-serving Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals in Paris.
The world No2 was stretched to three sets in his most recent encounter with Raonic in Rome, where the Canadian was firing missile serves throughout the match, and Djokovic knows he will have to be patient as he prepares himself for a tough battle.
“Milos is playing the tennis of his life. He’s an established top 10 player now. He has one of the best serves in the world. Very powerful, very precise,” said Djokovic, who can reach a fourth consecutive semi-final in Roland Garros.
“When he serves that well, there is not much you can do really. He puts a lot of pressure on his opponent. There is an evident improvement in his game and he feels more confident on the court. You can feel that. The recent match we had in Rome was very close.
“I don’t expect anything different now. I know that I’m going to have to face somebody that is going to serve over 200km/h on average throughout the whole match. But I’m ready for that.”
Djokovic grew up in war-torn Serbia as a youngster and credits suriving the conflict for his incredible fortitude shown on court.
“It’s truly incredible and something I don’t wish for any human being to experience, the power of war and the power of being just helpless out there,” explained the 27-year-old.
“But as much as it was devastating, it was also very helpful in terms of my mental strength. It shaped my personality incredibly in such a way that I didn’t have many fears after that.”
World No9 Raonic is preparing himself for a lengthy battle on his Grand Slam quarter-final debut.
Discusing the difference between facing Djokovic in a best-of-five match as opposed to their best-of-three clash in Rome, he said: “I think it’s a mental aspect of keeping up a certain level for that long, and not allowing yourself to drift away.”
In the other quarter-final taking place on Tuesday, Ernests Gulbis looks to take out another top seed in No6 Tomas Berdych havign already taken out Roger Federer.
Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova says she’s wary of the threat posed by her quarter-final opponent Garbine Muguruza, but is firmly focused on keeping her bid alive for a fifth Grand Slam title.
The Spanish world No35 has been one of the sensations in the women’s draw, having knocked out world No1 Serena Williams.
Sharapova said: “This is certainly her breakthrough tournament, and she’s playing with confidence. That’s going to be a challenge.”
