Novak Djokovic makes sad confession about his form after shock Miami Open defeat
Novak Djokovic admitted ‘it’s just not working’ and he ‘can’t be the person that he was’ after his surprise defeat at the Miami Open.
The former world No.1 slipped to a straight sets loss against Benoit Paire, which represented his third consecutive defeat.
Not since 2007 has Djokovic lost three matches in succession and the Serb admits his body is still struggling to adjust following the elbow surgery which saw him miss the last six months of last season.
‘I mean, I’m trying, but it’s not working. That’s all. That’s all it is,’ said Djokovic. ‘I’m not feeling great when I’m playing this way. Of course, I want to be able to play as well as I want to play. Just it’s impossible at the moment. That’s all. I lost to a better player.
‘I felt I started the match well, first six games, then I just ran out of gas. He was serving well. I just wasn’t able to break him down. He was just coming up with the good shots at the right time. It happened very fast.
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‘I know that you can’t be the person that you were yesterday, and the player [you once were]. You have to keep on training, evolving, trying to improve your game
‘The circumstances that I was in the last two years were very challenging. But I’m not the only one that goes through that. I mean, there are tougher injuries that players go through. I don’t want to sit here and whine about my last couple of years.
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‘I’m just in general trying everything I can. It is what it is. I’m not at the level that I used to be. I’m aware of that. I just have to obviously believe in myself and hopefully it will come.
‘I wouldn’t go out on the court if I didn’t believe I can win a tennis match. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t trying. I mean, nobody is kind of forcing me with a whip to go out on the court. I have a freedom to choose whether I want to play or not,
‘I love this sport. There’s a lot of people that support me, especially here. I thank them for their great support. Unfortunately I’m not at the level they would like to see me at and I would like to see myself at. But it is what it is. Life goes on.’
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