"Leading up to it, I 100% believed I could win" - Jenson Brooksby after losing to Novak Djokovic in US Open 4r
Jenson Brooksby's dream run at the 2021 US Open came to an end on Monday as he lost 6-1, 3-6, 2-6, 2-6 to Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.
Brooksby began very strongly in the opening set, where he produced some near-flawless tennis and conceded just the single unforced error. While the American got broken early in the second set, he broke back soon after in a game that lasted over 20 minutes and consisted of 24 points.
For a set and a half, Jenson Brooksby showed that he could go toe-to-toe with Novak Djokovic. But as Djokovic usually does, he wore down the 20-year-old in the latter half of the contest to come out on top.
During his post-match press conference, Brooksby was asked if he felt he belonged on the court against a player of Djokovic's caliber. In response, the American pointed out that self-belief is an attribute that stems from training as well as playing matches against the top players.
"Yeah, I mean, I think that comes from definitely more training, but most importantly other match situations against other guys and stuff also, just the whole process of it," Brooksby said.
Brooksby went on to assert that he fully believed he could beat Djokovic in the build-up to the match. In fact, he even claimed he produced the desired level to beat the Serb but ultimately fell short in the physical aspect.
"Leading up to it, I 100% believed I could win, like, against anybody," Brooksby said. "I thought I showed that with the level I could produce out there. Unfortunately, yeah, physically got a little tougher."
Jenson Brooksby gave Novak Djokovic plenty of fits in the first half of the match with his expert redirection of pace and sublime defense. His returns were often very well placed, not allowing the Serb any room to impose himself on the rallies.
When asked to explain his tactical approach, Brooksby deferred to his coach, highlighting how he was the brains behind the strategy.
"Yeah, I mean, it's my coach's job to explain that stuff," Brooksby said. "It's more my job to just try to go out there and execute it."
The American further stressed that he couldn't divulge his exact tactics but pointed out that they worked for him at the start. Brooksby then reiterated that he entered the match with the belief that he could beat Djokovic.
"But no, I mean, I can't really say too much," Brooksby said. "But I did do it from the start and I could see it working. I really did have a lot of confidence in myself out there that I can beat him, I can beat anybody."
Jenson Brooksby also rued the fact that he was physically hampered during the rest of the match but gave credit to the Serb for "stepping it up".
"Yeah, I think definitely the movement affected that throughout the rest of the match, but not as an excuse," the American added. "Credit to him for also stepping it up a little."
Jenson Brooksby believes the atmosphere in the Arthur Ashe Stadium helped him "stay focused" against Novak Djokovic
Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere at the Arthur Ashe Stadium was electric during the match between Jenson Brooksby and Novak Djokovic. When asked to comment on that, Brooksby claimed there is "nothing more exciting" than what was on offer at Ashe.
"Yeah, there's nothing more," Brooksby said. "I don't think there's anything more exciting you can get in a sport playing in an atmosphere like that. You can see people as high up as possible. It's full. It's really exciting."
Brooksby expressed hope to be able to play in such an atmosphere "many more times" in the future. He added that the crowd helped him "stay focused" during his match against Djokovic.
"I really enjoyed playing in an atmosphere like that and hope that I get to many more times in the future," Brooksby said. "But, yeah, it just helped me with a big crowd like that, that atmosphere. Helped me stay focused and enjoy the moment."