Novak Djokovic refused to debate the evident eye downside he suffered earlier than Sunday’s Miami Open remaining defeat to unseeded Czech teenager Jakub Mensik saying he didn’t wish to take away from his opponent’s triumph.
Novak Djokovic refused to debate the evident eye downside he suffered earlier than Sunday’s Miami Open. (AP)
After a virtually six hour rain delay, Djokovic appeared with a stye inflicting swelling round his proper eye.
He made a sluggish begin to the match, dropping his first service sport.
Throughout a changeover within the first set he utilized some eye drops and gave the impression to be troubled by the an infection.
The report 24-time Grand Slam winner, who was denied his a hundredth profession title, mentioned it was all a part of a “weird” day.
“It’s unfortunate for me. Two tiebreaks, just very weird match, weird day with rain delay and all the things that were happening. Honestly, I didn’t feel my greatest on the court, but it is what it is. Nothing to take away from his victory,” he mentioned.
Requested immediately concerning the eye downside, the Serb mentioned he was reluctant to debate the difficulty as a result of he didn’t wish to look like making excuses for his shock loss.
“I really prefer not to talk about — there is quite a few things, but I prefer not to… just congratulate him. That’s it. I don’t want to sound like I’m giving excuses here for my loss,” he mentioned.
The 37-year-old was on account of take the court docket at 3pm native, however the match didn’t start till 8.45. The lengthy day of hanging round for the boys’s finalists included time for the ladies’s doubles remaining to be accomplished.
Regardless of his apparent disappointment, Djokovic mentioned he was happy to see Mensik proceed to progress.
– The whole sport –
“Never really happy to lose, but he’s one of the very few players that I would be happier to lose to, to be honest,” he mentioned.
“I have seen him play when he was 15 or 16 and invited him, we had some training blocks together. He was training at my club in Belgrade, and to see his development and evolution is really great, amazing,” he mentioned.
“I could see back then already, three, four years ago that he’s going to be one of the top players of the world. I’m super glad that he’s using the potential that he has, because he’s got the complete game.
“Clearly his serve is unbelievable, highly effective, exact, wins a whole lot of free factors with the primary serve,” he added.
“Backhand, as properly, you recognize. Czech faculty, they at all times have an excellent backhand (smiling). However forehand, he is improved quite a bit. And motion for a tall, large man like that, he slides and strikes properly.
“He still can improve, of course. So I’m sure we’ll be seeing him around,” he added.
Djokovic, who loved large assist from the gang who had waited so lengthy for the ultimate, had been in wonderful type, not giving up a set all through the event and he mentioned regardless of the loss it had been a constructive fortnight in South Florida.
“Overall obviously now bitter taste because of the loss, but Miami, as I said on the court, really brought me a lot of joy and really good sensations on and off the court.
“I used to be welcomed very properly by folks and supported. Unbelievable once more tonight, nice assist from the stadium within the match. They have been pushing me on and making an attempt to offer me energy for a comeback.”