Novak Djokovic heaps praise on young Italian Jannik after going down 5-7, 7-6, 6-7 in round robin stage
A disappointed Novak Djokovic during his match against Jannik Sinner
Following a defeat to Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals, Novak Djokovic was full of praise for his opponent’s play, saying “Sinner played his best game and absolutely deserved to win.” Djokovic praised Sinner’s assertive style of play in the pivotal moments, noting the Italian’s series of powerful groundstrokes that made an impact towards the end of the first and third sets. “You have to just congratulate him. He just played a fantastic match. That’s what I told him at the net. I think in the most important moments, he played his best game and he absolutely deserved to win,” Djokovic was quoted by ATP Tour.
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‘I wasn’t aggressive enough’
“I think the main difference is that in the important points, he was going for it, he was more courageous. He deserved to win because in important moments I wasn’t aggressive enough, I wasn’t decisive enough. I gave him the opportunity to take the control over the points,” the Serbian added. Although Djokovic found minimal flaws in his overall game, he did extract a lesson from the loss admitting that “he had to be a bit more decisive.”
Jannik Sinner celebrates his win over Novak Djokovic. Pics/AFP
A lesson learned
“I think I learned that in some moments I have to be a bit more decisive. I wasn’t today. That’s OK. Some you win, some you lose. Most of my career I was winning these kinds of matches. Some I lost, like the one tonight,” said the World No. 1 Serb. Djokovic, who applauded his opponent’s play on several occasions, dropped to 1-1 in Green group with the defeat. However, he still holds a chance to secure a spot in the semi-finals. He will close out his round-robin campaign against Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday.
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