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Novak Djokovic has admitted he is ‘shocked’ after being dumped out of the Australian Open by Jannik Sinner on Friday morning.
The Serbia entered the match as favourites, having won 10 major championships before this.
However, Djokovic struggled from the start and Sinner took the first two sets with minimal trouble.
Djokovic was able to boost his comeback chances by winning the third set and saving a match point in the process.
Novak Djokovic has spoken openly after the defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open.
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Yet Sinner was too strong for the defending champion and won 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 to book his place in Sunday’s final.
Now in the press conference after the match, Djokovic was asked about the result.
And the 36-year-old admitted he was ‘shocked’ by the defeat, while also criticizing his performance.
“First of all I want to congratulate Sinner for playing a great match and a great tournament so far,” he said.
“He deserves to be in the final. He completely beat me today.”
“I was, in a way, deeply shocked by my level. I was not able to do anything right in the first two sets.
“I think it’s one of the worst Grand Slam matches I’ve ever played. At least I remember it.
“Yeah, it’s not a very pleasant feeling to play like this.
“But also credit to him for outperforming me in every aspect of the game.
“To be honest, I really didn’t play anywhere close to my best throughout the tournament. The match against Adrian Mannarino was probably very good, but for most of the matches I was not playing at the level I normally do here in Australia.
“So in a way it surprised me, because I thought it wouldn’t be that bad in the first two sets.
“But on the other hand, during this tournament I didn’t feel like I was on the court.
“Of course, one can say that the semi-final is a great result, but I always expect the highest from myself, and today it should not have happened.”
Djokovic admitted he was ‘hot-headed’ and it would be difficult for him to process his defeat to Sinner.
He added: “I’m a little too hot-headed right now. It’s very difficult to think deeply about things after a match.
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Novak Djokovic praises Jannik Sinner after his Australian Open exit
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“Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a few days, but I definitely have a lot to be proud of in terms of what I’ve achieved here.
“This was going to end, you know, one day. It was going to happen, and, at least I gave my all in circumstances where I couldn’t play well, and I, you know, lost to a player who has a very good chance to win her first Slam. That’s all.
“But yes, it has been a very special city, the best Grand Slam of my career so far.
“Yeah, I just hope I get a chance to come back to play at least one more time and go through the emotions once again.”
At the age of 36, Djokovic is entering the final stages of his career. Despite his talent, his career seems to be coming to an end.
Novak Djokovic looked disappointed after his tragic defeat to Jannik Sinner at Australian Open
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And when asked if he finally realized his age, he hesitated.
“Let’s see,” he smiled. “I don’t know. You know, I still have high hopes for the other Slams, the Olympics and whatever tournaments I play. It’s still the beginning of the season.
“It’s not the feeling I’m used to. I mean, it’s been incredibly satisfying for me, you know, to start most of my seasons with a Grand Slam win and I’ve never lost in the semi-finals or finals of the Australian Open.
“So it’s a little different this time, but it’s the same. Let’s see. I don’t know.
“As I said, this tournament has not been up to my standard or criteria or the level that I would normally play at or expect myself to play at, but that doesn’t mean it’s the beginning of the end as some people would like. Let’s call it quits. Let’s see what happens the rest of the season.”
