MADRID: Suffering his worst defeat to Rafael Nadal since 2012, Novak Djokovic is choosing to look at the positive side of his week at the Madrid Open.
The world No.1 was outplayed from the onset during his semifinal match against the Spaniard, which was their 50th meeting on the tour. Djokovic’s patchy play enabled Nadal to dictate the rallies throughout and reduce their head-to-head to 26-24.
The loss at the Caja Magica is the fifth consecutive tournament that Djokovic has failed to reach the final this season. A sharp contrast to 12 months ago when he reached five finals within the same period. The run is far from ideal preparation for his upcoming French Open title defence, but the 29-year-old remains defiant in the face of criticism.
“It was really good to play in semifinals of a big event, and to play against one of the top rivals I have in my life.” Said Djokovic. “I haven’t had that feeling in months, so it’s great to feel that.”
“It was a positive week, a positive experience. I will take more positives than negatives into the next week in Rome. I hope to continue getting better and getting stronger.”
No excuses
On Thursday the world No.2 received a walkover into the semifinals after Kei Nishikori withdrew due to a wrist injury. As a consequence, the Serbian didn’t play a match in the changing conditions over the past couple of days (the temperature has increased). Some have argued that this might have been a contributing factor to his loss, but Djokovic doesn’t think so.
“I don’t want to find excuses why he (Nadal) played that well and why I didn’t play maybe as well. It’s just as it is.” He said.
“I felt comfortable hitting the ball last few days, physically ready, mentally sharp as well. I was trying my best.”
Recently the former world No.1 took the decision of dismissing three members of his coaching team in a bid to revive his dominance on the tour. It is unclear as to who will be replacing those members, with numerous names circulating. Djokovic himself is reluctant to speak about the current situation, but confirmed an announcement will be made within four weeks. In the meantime, he is relying on his brother to guide him on the tour.
“I felt like I was playing well throughout the week. Today maybe slightly I could have played better. But I just had an opponent that was too good.” Djokovic concluded.
The next leg of Djokovic’s clay campaign will occur in Italy next week at the Rome Masters. He is set to play either Andreas Seppi or a yet to be confirmed qualifier.
