“Many irrational thoughts go through my head after a loss” – Djokovic on tough Australian Open loss

Following his loss against Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals, Novak Djokovic told Serbian reporters that it’s hard to think rationally so soon after a defeat.

Djokovic, who has previously never lost in 10 semi-final matches in Melbourne, was defeated by Jannik Sinner (6-1 6-2 6-7 (6) 6-3).

Djokovic didn’t have a single break point for the first time in a completed Grand Slam match.

“Return was one of the shots that didn’t work for me today, although I don’t know what did”, Djokovic told Serbian media.

“I was on the wrong foot the whole time, both in points and on the scoreboard. One of the worse, if not the worst performance at Slams. It happens, it’s part of the sport. On the return, I just didn’t have the quickness of the reaction, I wasn’t able to read his serve and I never felt that I had stability and balance on that shot”.

Djokovic implies there may be questions about motivation

Asked whether his motivation remains intact, Djokovic answered, “Let’s see how things will unfold in the future. When you leave the court after a loss, the head is still hot – you are fighting to be rational, but there are many irrational thoughts going through your head.

“I want my thoughts to settle – when I calm down, I will move on and see what tournaments I will play.

“I made a commitment to myself that I will give it my all this year, with the priority being Slams and the Olympics. We’ll see whether something will change, in this stage of my life and my career some surprising decisions are maybe more expected compared to twenty years ago”.

In his preparations for the match, Djokovic went through all the usual routines.

“Yes, everything I usually do to be at my best on the court. Different factors contributed to the way I played. I was far from my usual level throughout the tournament, Sinner played great and imposed himself, the conditions were a bit different since I normally play in the evening in the final stages of the tournament.

“It’s sports, it happens, I am sorry I played such a bad match. At the end of the day, I got outplayed, no excuses – I shake Jannik’s hand, say well done to him”, concluded Djokovic.

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