Djokovic: "Not bad for an old guy"

Djokovic advanced to the second round of the Paris Masters after overcoming Valentin Vacherot 2-1 in a hard-fought match, coming from behind to win. The set scores were 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-1.

"I expected this kind of match. You get very few chances to break serve, especially against him. He has an incredible serve and hits extremely powerful shots on both his first and second serves. At times, I was guessing where he was going to serve.

"When you're up against such a strong opponent, you focus on holding your own service games. For a while, it felt as though I had frozen after missing that volley in the tie-break. I managed to get it back to 2-1, even though it looked a bit awkward. I started playing better and better. It was demanding physically, with long rallies...", Djokovic said.

Djokovic thus became the oldest match winner in the history of the Paris tournament.

"Not too bad for an old guy, huh? Sometimes it feels like I'm moving too slowly, but I win matches like these and find a way. I'm still here, trying to find my best level.

"He is in excellent form, has a precise serve and is a recent champion. I was fortunate that he missed a few serves. The match changed when I managed to break his serve in the second set. I'm happy with the victory," Djokovic added.