"I'm hoping that I'll be back on the court very soon competing" - Novak Djokovic after Dubai loss
Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday, losing 6-4, 7-6(4) to Czech Republic's Jiri Vesely.
The Serb was playing his first tournament of the season, having previously been disbarred from the Australian Open after his visa was revoked due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
His loss to Vesely means he will now lose his World No. 1 spot to Daniil Medvedev when the ATP rankings are updated on Monday.
Reflecting on his loss during his post-match press conference, Djokovic said he still had the motivation to keep playing tennis. The Serb added that he will continue to compete as long as his body allows him to and he enjoys the support of his fans and family.
"My goal is to keep on playing tennis," Djokovic said. "For as long as I really feel like it, to be honest, and as long as I can play, as long as my body allows me, as long as the circumstances in my life as well, the people that surrounds me support me. If all is in favor of me playing professional tennis and competing, I'll keep on doing that."
"Of course I'm still motivated and I'm still pissed off when I lose a match," he continued. "I care about it, regardless of the age. I'm actually glad that I'm feeling a lot of emotions every single day because it means that I really want to be part of this sport. I'm hoping that I'll be back on the court very soon competing. If I get a chance, I'll try to make the most out of it."
The soon-to-be World No. 2 said it was "normal" to be upset after losing. He was, however, quick to add that a new day would mean a new chapter for him.
"I mean, I've had so many lost chances in my life," Djokovic said. "Every time you lose a match you're out of the tournament and it's a lost chance. If I look at it that way."
"I don't want to be mourning about my matches lost," he continued. "I'm over that. I mean, of course I'm upset that I lose a match. It's normal because I'm fighting one on one against my opponent. We both want to win. There can be only one winner. But the next day it's already a next page in your next chapter of your tennis career."
"I was keeping my fighting spirit there, really tried till the last shot" - Novak Djokovic
Addressing his loss, Djokovic said he fought till the very last point, but was lacking in terms of match practice. He added that he was still trying to find his "groove" and hoped to get better with more matches under his belt.
"Well, I was keeping my fighting spirit there," Djokovic said. "I really tried till the last shot. I managed to break his serve when he was serving for the match. Just kept it going, really pushed him to the last shot. Obviously I'm lacking a little bit of the match play. You can see that. Still finding the groove on the court."
"The more matches I play, the more confident I will be, the more comfortable I'll be feeling on the court," he continued. "Practice, match play, completely two different things. Obviously nerves of being on the court, every point counts, so you have to deal with more things that you deal with on practice sessions basically."
Passing the baton 🥇
@DaniilMedwed will take over from good friend @djokernole as World No. 1 on Monday https://t.co/EXcrhybDHu