Novak Djokovic reflected on his devastating loss to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals, labeling it as one of the lowest points of his Grand Slam career.
Facing a resolute Sinner at Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic succumbed to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 defeat on January 26th. His performance was marred by five service breaks and a staggering 54 unforced errors, highlighting his struggle to find rhythm throughout the match.
In a post-match press conference, Djokovic conceded victory to Sinner, acknowledging his opponent’s superior play: “I want to congratulate Sinner for playing a great match, great tournament so far. He’s deservedly in the finals. He outplayed me completely today.”
Expressing his disappointment, Djokovic admitted to being taken aback by his subpar performance: “Look, I was, in a way, shocked with my level, you know, in a bad way. There was not much I was doing right in the first two sets. Yeah, I guess this is one of the worst Grand Slam matches I’ve ever played, at least that I remember.”
Despite the setback, Djokovic credited Sinner’s excellence while acknowledging his shortcomings: “Yeah, 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.”
Novak Djokovic emphasized that he exerted effort and resilience in his match against Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open.
During his post-match press conference in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic reflected on his efforts against Jannik Sinner, admitting that despite his best attempts, he fell short against the Italian.
“I tried, I fought. I managed to raise the level a little bit in the third, saved the match point, and played a good tiebreak. But again, you know, the fourth set, very bad game to lose, you know, 40-Love up on 1-2, and kind of against the wind a little bit. Yeah, just overall the performance-wise level of my tennis was, you know, really not great,” Djokovic expressed.
In moments of struggle, Djokovic shared his approach of seeking serenity while pushing himself to elevate his game: “I guess in those moments you just try to, you know, find the serenity, but at the same time try to uplift, you know, yourself and your game. That’s what I tried.”
Acknowledging the support from the crowd at Melbourne Park, Djokovic appreciated the fair treatment and encouragement from the spectators: “And the crowd was great. I think they were really fair towards both players. Lots of support for both Jannik and I. That’s all. You know, congratulations to him.”
This defeat marked Djokovic’s first loss at the Melbourne Major since 2018, ending a remarkable 33-match winning streak at the tournament.
