Novak Djokovic was shocked in his second match at the 2024 Indian Wells Open, and he was very honest about his performance after the match.
Coming into the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season after leaving Melbourne without a Grand Slam title was certainly motivating enough for the 36-year-old to try his best and add another trophy to his collection.
Already in the opening round, the Serbian struggled against Aleksandar Vukic, and things didn't get any easier against the world no. 123, Luca Nardi in the third round of the tournament.
The Italian was a lucky loser, meaning he lost in the final round of the qualifying, before someone withdrew from the main draw, giving him a chance to compete, and eventually play against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
After Djokovic lost to Nardi, he was very honest about what happened on the court. First of all, he praised his opponent's performance, but he also mentioned that his level was "really bad."
"He got in as a Lucky Loser to main draw, so he really didn't have anything to lose, so he played great. Deserved to win. I was more surprised with my level. My level was really, really bad."
The Serbian is not really used to losing early at tournaments, and that's why he wasn't afraid to call his performance "poor." He's yet to win a title in 2024, and that's something that he's not used to.
"I could have done everything different. I mean, as I said, very poor performance from my side. Yeah, no titles this year. That's not something I'm used to. I was starting the season most of my career with a Grand Slam win or, you know, Dubai win, or any or tournament."
Still, Djokovic embraces the challenge, knowing he's still the world no. 1 on the ATP Tour and player that many opponents fear. He remains motivated for the remainder of the 2024 season, wanting to get his hands on another trophy soon.
"It's fine. You know, it's part of the sport. You just have to accept it. Some you win; some you lose. Hopefully I'll win some more and still keep going."
"I guess every trophy that eventually comes my way is going to be great (smiling), obviously to break the kind of negative cycle a little bit I'm having in the last three, four tournaments where I haven't really been close to my best."
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