Kyle Edmund is unconcerned whether Novak Djokovic has turned a corner or not ahead of their meeting at the Madrid Open.
The Brit booked his spot in the second round on his debut at the Caja Magica, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-0 in a fine win on Pista 5.
Djokovic, too, enjoyed an excellent result in his opening match, negotiating a nightmare draw to knock Kei Nishikori out 7-5 6-4.
Its been a mixed year for Djokovic, who had suffered a surprise first-round defeat to Martin Klizan in Barcelona in the build-up to this event, but there were signs that he was back towards his best against the Japanese.
It may well prove to be unfortunate timing for Edmund if he comes up against a fully revitalised 12-time Grand Slam champion, but he insists that he is not focused on how his opponent is feeling.
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When asked if he was concerned that Djokovic might have turned a corner, he said: I dont care. Im just going to go out there and play my game. I cant be worrying about him.
Theres hundreds, so many players to be worrying about if theyve turned a corner.
I think the person whos playing the best on clay at the minute is Rafa [Nadal].
Edmund didnt catch the majority of Djokovics match with Nishikori after a busy weekend where he won his first doubles title alongside compatriot Cameron Norrie.
And although he practised less than hed hoped, he thought their efforts in the doubles left him in good shape.
I watched a little bit of highlights, I might watch a bit more later today or tomorrow, he added.
I think my coach kept an eye on it more than I did. It was more just the focus on getting through here because it doesnt really matter the next round if you dont win so it was focus on here.
I only came on Sunday night so I had yesterday to practise once for an hour and then this morning warming up.
I knew today it was nice that Id played doubles because Id hit a lot of balls, played a lot of points in a bit of a pressure situation.
I havent had a huge amount of practise but it wasnt lack of hitting balls, it was just more about my mindset so I guess maybe at the start it was pressure, that was important not to give away a lot.
More: Tennis
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Kyle Edmund is unconcerned whether Novak Djokovic has turned a corner or not ahead of their meeting at the Madrid Open.
The Brit booked his spot in the second round on his debut at the Caja Magica, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-0 in a fine win on Pista 5.
Djokovic, too, enjoyed an excellent result in his opening match, negotiating a nightmare draw to knock Kei Nishikori out 7-5 6-4.
Its been a mixed year for Djokovic, who had suffered a surprise first-round defeat to Martin Klizan in Barcelona in the build-up to this event, but there were signs that he was back towards his best against the Japanese.
It may well prove to be unfortunate timing for Edmund if he comes up against a fully revitalised 12-time Grand Slam champion, but he insists that he is not focused on how his opponent is feeling.
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When asked if he was concerned that Djokovic might have turned a corner, he said: I dont care. Im just going to go out there and play my game. I cant be worrying about him.
Theres hundreds, so many players to be worrying about if theyve turned a corner.
I think the person whos playing the best on clay at the minute is Rafa [Nadal].
Edmund didnt catch the majority of Djokovics match with Nishikori after a busy weekend where he won his first doubles title alongside compatriot Cameron Norrie.
And although he practised less than hed hoped, he thought their efforts in the doubles left him in good shape.
I watched a little bit of highlights, I might watch a bit more later today or tomorrow, he added.
I think my coach kept an eye on it more than I did. It was more just the focus on getting through here because it doesnt really matter the next round if you dont win so it was focus on here.
I only came on Sunday night so I had yesterday to practise once for an hour and then this morning warming up.
I knew today it was nice that Id played doubles because Id hit a lot of balls, played a lot of points in a bit of a pressure situation.
I havent had a huge amount of practise but it wasnt lack of hitting balls, it was just more about my mindset so I guess maybe at the start it was pressure, that was important not to give away a lot.
More: Tennis
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