World No.1 Roger Federer has backed Novak Djokovic to return to the top of the game following his shock exit from Indian Wells.
On Sunday the Serbian crashed out to Japan’s Taro Daniel in what was his earliest loss at the tournament since 2006. Djokovic was playing in only his second tournament since returning to the tour from an elbow injury. Last month he travelled to Switzerland to undergo treatment in what he described as a ‘small medical intervention.’
“I made so many unforced errors that it was just, you know, one of those days where you’re not able to find the rhythm from the baseline, especially from the backhand side. That has always been a rock-solid shot for me throughout my career.” Said Djokovic, who made 61 unforced errors in his latest match.
20-time grand slam champion Federer admits that he was ‘not surprised’ about Djokovic’s loss given his recent absence from the tour. The 36-year-old defeated Frederico Delbonis in his second round match on Sunday.
“I feel like when you do come back from injury or when you haven’t played in a long time, it just takes extra effort.” Explained Federer. “I think that’s probably also what he’s also feeling. And maybe (he) was tired in the end a bit because the focus you need to have is greater.”
The Swiss player knows what it is like to sidelined from the tour. In 2016 he missed six months of competitive tennis due to a knee injury. He returned to the tour at the start of 2017 before winning the Australian Open.
Inevitably there will comparisons drawn between the comebacks of the two players. Although Federer insists that too much shouldn’t be read into it.
“I was lucky that when I did come back, I had the Hopman Cup where I played the three singles, three doubles. But then it wasn’t straightforward, either, against Melzer and Rubin, I believe, at the Australian Open.” He said.
“But this (in Indian Wells) maybe is also a slower surface, so he (Djokovic) had to work harder for it. So maybe you could argue it’s not so bad for him as well, so he has got more margin.”
Amid uncertainty over Djokovic’s attendance at the Miami Open, Federer remains confident that he will return back to the top.
“He’s only going to get better from here. He knows that. We all know that. But it was nice to see him playing again.”
Del Potro voices support
Juan Martin del Potro is another player that knows the frustrations of having an injury. The former US Open champion has undergone four wrist operations during his career, including three on his left wrist. At his lowest, the Argentine contemplated walking away from the sport before staging a successful return.
“It’s not easy to come back and play good tennis, as everybody expect of Novak’s game. And mentally you must be strong enough to deal with these kind of losses in this big of tournaments.” He said after his win over Alex de Minaur.
Del Potro, who has has lost 14 out of 18 matches against Djokovic, believes the 12-time grand slam champion is strong enough to bounce back.
“I think it’s only time to get where he deserve to be. And if his body feels good, the tennis come along and the confidence comes along too. But is not easy to deal with this kind of frustrations after injuries or when you always be the favourite to win a tournament.” Del Potro concluded.
“But he’s strong enough to deal with that, and I love him and I want to see him in the top positions very soon.”
Djokovic’s year-to-date win-loss record currently stands at 3-2.
