"This was one of the worst matches I played" - When Novak Djokovic was disappointed after crumbling against Andy Roddick in Indian Wells title defense
Novak Djokovic took full responsibility for his shocking loss to Andy Roddick at the 2009 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He admitted that his form was far from its best, calling it one of the "worst matches" he had ever played.
Djokovic began his campaign at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament with a second-round victory over Martin Vassallo Arguello after receiving a first-round bye as the third seed. He then defeated Tommy Haas and Stan Wawrinka to set up a quarterfinal clash with Roddick.
The American wasted no time and dominated an out-of-sorts Serb, securing a 6-3, 6-2 victory to reach the semifinals in Palm Springs. There, he faced Rafael Nadal, who defeated him before going on to clinch the title with a win over Andy Murray.
In the post-match press conference, Djokovic acknowledged Roddick's solid performance but noted that the American didn't do anything "special." He admitted that he didn't play his best and was disappointed with his form.
"Overall it was a very bad day," Djokovic said. "There's not much to say. He played very solid. I mean, he didn't do anything special. It was all me making an incredible amount of unforced errors. I don't know. It's tough to explain, really. It's just one of the days when you really don't feel comfortable on the court."
The 24-time Grand Slam champion added:
"I just didn't have any momentum on the court. No feel for the ball, no movement. Just no solutions. I don't know. It's hard to remember, really. This was one of the worst matches, certainly, I played."
Novak Djokovic refused to blame the temperature for his Indian Wells 2009 loss
Novak Djokovic elaborated more on his quarterfinal loss to Andy Roddick at the 2009 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells during a press conference. When a reporter suggested that the heat might have affected his performance, he refused to use it as an excuse.
Djokovic said:
" I don't think heat was concerning me or him. It was same for both of us. It was just something else. It was some other reasons, as I said. It's just hard to explain."
He added:
"The heat, okay -- I mean, you can't expect perfect days, because we're playing in the desert, and this time of the year it's even pretty fine weather, considering the fact that it's not summer, still. But, again, I've played in these conditions many times before, so I didn't feel any physical breakdown. It was just mental."