This week is all about redemption for Novak Djokovic as he makes his debut at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel Open in Acapulco, Mexico.
A month ago the former world No.1 experienced his worst performance at the Australian Open since 2006, crashing out in the second round to Denis Istomin. Keen to return to the winning form which saw him lift the Doha Open title at the start of the year, Djokovic has opted to play in Mexico for the first time in his career after being awarded a wildcard.
“I haven’t experienced the first-week Australian Open loss for many years,” said Djokovic . “But… it’s kind of normal and expected to go through those times when you’re not playing as best as you can maybe, as best as you want to be, or maybe the opponent has an amazing day. It’s sport. You have to deal with it, and you can always learn much more from the losses.”
Djokovic’s presence in Acapulco is a massive coup for the ATP 500 tournament, which features five top-10 players. According to reports, tickets for the event are being resold for a value of up to 6,000 euros since news broke of the world No.2 joining the event.
“It’s very impressive. It’s going to be a hard tournament,” the 12-time grand slam champion admitted.
The loss to Istomin in Melbourne has had little impact on Djokovic’s confidence, who believes he is in a better state of mind than the end of last year. In 2016 the Serbian was hindered by numerous issues, both mental and physical. Between August-December, he went without a title after falling short at the US Open and ATP World Tour Finals. His final match of 2016 against Andy Murray saw Djokovic struggle as he lost in straight sets.
“All in all, I feel that I’m in a much better state of mind than maybe I was at the end of last year. So I keep on going. I love this sport. That’s why I’m playing it. That’s why I’m here. I’m just hoping that I can stay healthy and as dedicated as best as I can be,” he said.
Chasing after his 68th ATP title in Mexico, the 29-year-old has his work cut out. Djokovic will begin his campaign against Slovakia’s Martin Klizan. Then he faces potential clashes with Juan Martin del Potro, Nick Kyrgios, Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal on route to the trophy.
