NOVAK DJOKOVIC MAKES ‘NO EXCUSE’ ADMISSION ABOUT QATAR OPEN DEFEAT

Novak Djokovic admits “I am still not moving the way I want to move” following his recent hamstring woes, but insisted his injury had nothing to do with his shock loss to Matteo Berrettini at the Qatar Open.

The tennis great was troubled by a hamstring injury during the early rounds of the Australian Open in January and threw in a towel after losing the first set to Alexander Zverev in the semi-final.

With some suggesting Djokovic was faking injury, the 24-time Grand Slam winner took to social media to post an MRI scan showing a deep tear in his hamstring.

It was initially thought he would be out of action for several months, but he made a speedy recovery and returned to action on Monday as he played doubles with Fernando Verdasco in Doha.

The pair brushed Karen Khachanov and Alexander Bublik aside 6-1, 6-1 in the first round before Djokovic returned for his opening singles encounter against Berrettini a day later.

Before the match Djokovic admitted that he has to be careful of the powerful Italian as he has a “big game, big serve, forehand, just great hands” in a rematch of their 2021 Wimbledon final.

And the former world No 6 produced a dominant service display, winning 40 out 47 (85%) of points on his first serve and also saved three out of three break points.

Djokovic was also good on first serve with 38 out of 45, but the second serve was the problem as he won only 30% of the points with the Italian converting two break points in the second set as he claimed a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 victory for his first win in four attempts against the Serbian.

The former world No 1 was asked about his injury after the match and replied: “I didn’t have any pain or discomfort in that sense. I was outplayed by just a better player today.

“Yes, I wasn’t at my desired level, and it could be that I’m still not moving the way I want to move, but, I mean, I played without pain, so there is no excuse in that.

“He was just the better player. I think he played a master class match, to be honest, tactically, and served very well, so just a very deserved win from his side.”

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While Berrettini will face Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of the ATP 500 match, Djokovic will give his hamstring more time to recover as he is next set to be in action at the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year, the Indian Wells Open that runs from 5-18 March in the United States.

The defeat will no doubt once again raise questions about whether or not Djokovic still has the desire to continue playing, but he admitted ahead of the tournament that “I still feel the jitters” before matches.

“Obviously I love the drive of the competition and trying to reach more history of the sport, you know, that I really love, that has given me so much. So, I want to win, I like the feeling of competing on the court,” he said.

“Then I also feel like the tennis court for me, particularly during the matches, is probably the best platform to evolve as a human being because I experience a crazy amount and intensity of different emotions on the court, you know, from the thrill and joy to the frustration and anger.

“It’s very interesting (laughing) to kind of experience all of those emotions, you know.

“And you would think that maybe with experience you wouldn’t react as drastically to certain moments or matches that you experience, but it’s not the case. I feel the cramps in my stomach before the every match. I’m stressed, I’m nervous, I’m excited. So, it’s a good sign, because after all of these years of competing on the tour and everything I achieved, I still feel that, I still feel the jitters.

“It’s a good sign because I still care about doing this, and I, well, I feel and I hope that my active career that keeps going is also positively affecting the overall tennis ecosystem. I like to believe that.

“And hopefully inspiring, you know, younger generations to come and watch tennis, grab a tennis racquet, participate in our sport in any shape or form.”

2025-02-19T10:02:22Z