After overcoming 100 unforced errors in his five sets encounter with Gilles Simon, Novak Djokovic was far from happy about his performance.
Facing the world No.15, Djokovic was pushed all the way by the Frenchman after producing 100 unforced errors compared to only 62 winners. The world No.1 have played Simon on ten previous occasions (winning nine of them) but has never encountered such tough resistance from the Frenchman. Reviewing his below-par performance, Djokovic put his high error count down to the talent of Simon.
“In terms of the performance itself, I haven’t done well But, you know, can expect unforced errors when you’re playing Gilles Simon who is one of the best counter-punchers in the tour at the moment and he’s been around for many years”. The world No.1 said.
Djokovic was unable to explain why his latest Australian Open performance was below the high standards he usually sets, labeling it as ‘one of those days’. He also candidly admitted that Simon’s ability to force him to play an extra point was troublesome for him.
A key feature of Djokovic’s tactic against the Frenchman was his use of dropshots, a lot of which proved unsuccessful for the Serbian. This tactic featured during his on-court interview when somebody from the Audience shouted ‘no more dropshots’. The Serbian humorously responded by saying, ‘I think you’re right’.
“When you’re playing someone like Simon, he senses that and he makes you play an extra shot. Then you’re trying to cut down on the length of the rallies, go for a winner or go for a dropshot. Sometimes you have a brain freeze, if I can call it that way. That’s what happened to me many times with those dropshots”. Djokovic said.
#Djokovic takes advice from audience member #nomoredropshots #AusOpen Watch more https://t.co/Ek545Zh2D9 https://t.co/0f7nlx5BBY
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2016
While he may not be happy with his performance, Djokovic has achieved another milestone in his glamorous career. The world No.1 will now play in his 27th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, placing him joint second with Jim Courier on the all-time list.
Awaiting him in the last eight will be former US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori. Djokovic has played Nishikori seven times since the 2010 French Open, winning five of them. After enduring four hours and 40 minutes on the court against Simon, the top seed dismissed any suggestions that it will affect his clash with Nishikori. Instead the Serbian joked about it.
“Actually, it gives me great joy to know that I can’t get worse than that, than what I played today (smiling)”. Djokovic replied when asked.
