New Delhi: The 24-time Grand Slam championNovak Djokovic admitted that physical struggles have become a “new reality” as the Serbian legend suffered a shocking 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 defeat against the young Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic.
The defeat came as Djokovic returned from a right shoulder injury that had kept him out of action since his loss against Jack Draper at Indian Wells in March. He started the match positively, but got outplayed by 20-year-old Prizmic, who played bold tennis and registered the biggest victory of his career.
‘It’s my decision to still perform in that kind of state and condition’Speaking after the game, the 38-year-old acknowledged that arriving at tournaments carrying some form of physical issues has become a new reality in recent years, and it’s not ideal preparation.
“It’s not an ideal preparation, to be honest. I don’t recall the last time I had in the last couple of years a preparation where I didn’t have any kind of physical issues or health issues coming into the tournament. There’s always something. Kind of a new reality that I have to deal with. It is frustrating. At the same time it’s my decision to still perform in that kind of state and conditions. It is what it is,” Djokovic said.
After losing the first set, Prizmic put pressure on Djokovic with long rallies, which his opponent could not keep up with. The Serbian legend struggled physically and found himself 4-0 down in the second set. Once the momentum shifted, Djokovic failed to make a comeback in the match.
The Serbian great also praised the Croatian and said that he’s a great competitor and his forehand has improved a lot.
“Today he has definitely performed high-level tennis. I told him at the net that his forehand improved a lot. Whatever he has been doing with his team is working out well. He should just keep going,” Djokovic added.
The Serbian lost his opening match at both the Monte Carlo and Madrid Masters last year, and this is the second consecutive year that Djokovic will head to the French Open after failing to win a single match in any of the three ATP Masters clay events.
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