Novak Djokovic called his loss to Jannik Sinner at the 2024 Australian Open one of the worst Grand Slam matches he’s ever played in a damning verdict on the end of his current quest for his 11th title in Melbourne.
Djokovic was defeated by Sinner as the Italian once again fouled the great Serbian and while he was full of praise for his opponent, the hurt was evident and he was shocked with his level.
“It is not a very pleasant feeling playing this way,” said Djokovic, 36.
“But at the same time, credit to [Sinner] for doing everything better than me in every aspect of the game.”
“I want to congratulate Sinner for playing a great match and a great tournament so far. He’s deservedly in the final. He outplayed me completely,” added Djokovic.
“I was shocked with my level – in a bad way. There was not much I was doing right in the first two sets.
“I guess this is one of the worst Grand Slam matches I’ve ever played.”
But despite that feeling of hurt, he still has high hopes for the rest of the season as he aims to put the hurt behind him in time.
“I still have high hopes for the other Slams, Olympics, and whatever tournaments that I’ll play. It’s just the beginning of the season,” continued Djokovic.
“It’s not the feeling that I’m used to. It has been incredibly satisfying for me to start off most of my seasons with a Grand Slam win and never losing in the semis or final of the Australian Open.
“So this time it’s a bit different, but it is what it is. This tournament hasn’t been up to my standard or the level that I would normally play or expect myself to play.
“But it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s beginning of the end as some people like to call it.”