Lajović: I believed I could win

Serbian tennis player Dušan Lajović managed to get into the second round of Belgrade Open, after he bested Lithuanian player Ričardas Berankis – 6:3, 6:3.

This is the first triumph for Lajović after five losses in a row.

“For me, the beginning of the match was difficult because of the emotions from previous weeks. I immediately lost the serve and started doubting myself a little. Fortunately, this is the result of my work during previous days. After Rome, I tried to mentally recover, I worked hard. At training five days ago, it was similar to the matches in previous weeks, but from training session to training session, everything became better. During the match, I started believing I had what it takes. Small things made me happy, I tried not to doubt myself and not think too much. I went from point to point, and when you’re in a good rhythm, you don’t think about what will happen too much. Today I did just that. I knew I had to be aware of that, to remind myself to do it that way,” said Lajović.

For him, the way he breathes during the match is of great importance.

“One of the important things is to breathe in a certain way during the match. If my heart is beating at an accelerated pace, I try to exhale quickly three times and breathe in deeply once. If I have time, i try to breathe from my stomach to reduce tension”.

Finally, he spoke about the mistakes which are inevitable for every player, and how to not withdraw in such situations.

“When you start doubting yourself, do not withdraw. Do what you have to. if you make a mistake and are not proactive in the field, that does not mean you need to stop being proactive. When you doubt yourself, you’re trying to avoid bringing yourself into a position to make mistakes, which is a mistake by itself. If you make a mistake during the offensive and stop attacking, that is a much bigger mistake. These small things make a difference, and one needs to fight for every ball, even in situations when you make mistakes. That’s a balance of two things – when you can control the situation, and when you can’t,” the Serbian tennis player concluded.

The opponent of the Serbian player in the second round will be French player Jeremy Chardy.