“I cannot say that I am disappointed, but I am sad, it was not a perfect match from either side" - Goran Ivanisevic on Novak Djokovic's French Open loss to Rafael Nadal
Goran Ivanisevic, Novak Djokovic's coach, recently spoke about the Serb's loss in the French Open quarterfinals to Rafael Nadal.
In an interview with Tennis Majors, Ivanisevic opined that it was not the "perfect match" from either player but that Nadal's body language was key to his victory.
“I cannot say that I am disappointed, but I am sad. It was not a perfect match from either side," Ivanisevic said. "Rafa did not play a spectacular match, but the body language decided, from the first point until the last: Rafa’s body language and Novak’s body language.”
The Croat revealed that he has been in a "funk" ever since Novak Djokovic's French Open loss and has had sleepless nights.
“I have to be brutally honest to begin with – I am in a funk and I can’t sleep,” he said.
Goran Ivanisevic bemoaned Novak Djokovic's "bad start" to the match and said the Serb lacked energy and belief that he could beat the Spaniard at his favorite Slam.
“I warned him, I even told you guys (journalists) that the start of the match could be decisive, but again, a bad start… And then, after the turnaround in the second set, it is incomprehensible the way he played the third set. It was like he lacked energy and like he did not believe sufficiently that he could win. You cannot allow that to yourself against Rafa, because this is his tournament,” Ivanisevic said.
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"Novak Djokovic had too many ups and downs, while Rafa was consistent and he absolutely deserved to win that match" - Goran Ivanisevic
During the interview, Ivanisevic once again brought up Novak Djokovic's body language and "lack of energy" in his quarterfinal match against Nadal.
After splitting the opening two sets, Nadal easily clinched the third. Djokovic served for the fourth set at 5-4 but squandered two set points, with the Spaniard taking the ensuing tie-break.
Ivanisevic questioned what could have happened had the Serb taken the match to a fifth set, but admitted that Djokovic had too many "ups and downs" while Nadal was "consistent" and deserved to win.
"Yes, everyone noticed. I do not know, we have not spoken yet," Ivanisevic said. "That is why I am so troubled by this match, I can’t sleep. What would happen had he won the fourth set, nobody knows, but that is just good old ‘what if’. He had two set points: the first one was an easy backhand unforced error, on the second he approached the net with the ball in the middle of the court, so Rafa passed him."
"Maybe it would have been different, maybe it would not, but I still do not understand the body language and the lack of energy. Novak had too many ups and downs, while Rafa was consistent and he absolutely deserved to win that match," he added.
Maybe the most open interview Goran Ivanisevic ever gave us. Djokovic's defeat was not in his roadmap... tennismajors.com/roland-garros-…
Ivanisevic pointed towards Novak Djokovic's backhand crosscourt as a major shortcoming during the match, opining that it was not "deep and penetrative as it usually is."
"I have read many comments and analyses emphasising Rafa’s offense with a forehand down the line. That is correct, but Novak’s backhand crosscourt was not as deep and penetrative as it usually is – a lot of the times, the ball landed in the middle of the court or in an ideal spot for Rafa to attack," he said.
The former Wimbledon champion said Nadal was the "king and owner of this court" and made Djokovic pay for his mistakes.
Once Novak started using his backhand down the line more, the momentum in the second set changed, and then his crosscourt backhand became stronger as well. Rafa used what Novak gave to him – he is the king and an owner of this court, and he does not allow you to have lapses, you pay for them immediately," he said.
Goran Ivanisevic also spoke about the overwhelming support Rafael Nadal received during the match, stressing that Novak Djokovic has learned how to deal with the lack of crowd support and that it should not be used as an excuse for his loss.
"I mean, he is the No. 1 player in the world and he has won 20 Grand Slam titles," Goran Ivanisevic said. "There is no reason to do such a thing – whether you love him or not, you should respect him. Afterwards, cheer for Rafa, of course we knew that it was going to be like that. I do not know if Novak was bothered by that or not – he has learned how to deal with it and that cannot be an excuse, in my opinion."