“Surprised” After revealing “one of the worst,” Djokovic responds to his abrupt departure from the Australian Open.
After losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open, the tennis player said that his 415th grand slam match was among his worst.
After 2195 days, Djokovic’s winning run at the Australian Open came to an end when Italian sensation Jannik Sinner upset the ten-time champion in four sets to secure a berth in his maiden major slam final. The 36-year-old said the match was a reflection of his erratic play because it was the first grand slam match he had ever finished in which he failed to create a break point on his opponent’s serve.
“I was, in a way, shocked with my level, you know, in a bad way,” Djokovic said after congratulating Sinner on his performance.
“There was not much I was doing right in the first two sets (smiling). “I guess this is one of the worst Grand Slam matches I’ve ever played. At least that I remember. “Not a very pleasant feeling playing this way. But at the same time, you know, credit to him for doing everything better than me, you know, in every aspect of the game.”
Djokovic’s winning run had extended back to the fourth round in 2018, when he lost to Hyeon Chung. He has since won four more Australian Opens, and he is currently vying for his 25th grand slam singles championship. Djokovic acknowledged he hasn’t taken his success at Melbourne Park for granted, even if he has stated he wants to play for as long as he is the best in the world.
“One day, the streak was going to come to an end. It was inevitable, and in the end, I think I gave it everything I had, even if I didn’t play well and lost to a man who has a great chance of winning his first major. That’s the only thing, he stated.
“Yeah, this has been a really unique city—the greatest Grand Slam of my career, hands down. Well, all I can hope is that I’ll get to return, play, at least once more, and experience the feelings all over again.
Despite the defeat, the world champion stated he didn’t believe it was “the beginning of the end” just yet.