Novak Djokovic: “Nothing can prepare for that moment” | ATP Tour

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Djokovic: “Nothing can prepare for that moment”

The Serbian loses his third consecutive game by falling against Botic Van de Zandschulp at his premiere at the BNP Paribas Open.

March 09, 2025

Novak Djokovic is not exaggerating his defeat in three sets against Botic Van de Zandschulp at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday night. Although he described him as “a bad day in the office”, he did not rule it out as something atypical in what has been 16 difficult months since he concluded his dominant season 2023.

“Things have changed for me in the last two years. I’ve been fighting to play at the desired level,” said 40 times ATP Masters 1000 champion. “Occasionally, I have a couple of good tournaments, but above all it is really a challenge. It’s a fight for me.”

“I think nothing can prepare for that moment, in a certain sense. You have to live it and try to face it in the best possible way.”

Djokovic achieved only 16 winning blows to 37 united errors, according to Infosys ATP Stats, on his way to his third consecutive defeat of the season.

After retiring at his semifinal from the Australian Open against Alexander Zverev, falling against Matteo Berrettini at his premiere in Doha and now suffer a defeat against the Dutchman, it is only the second time that Djokovic loses three consecutive games since the beginning of the 2008 season (2018, Aus. Open-Miami).

“The first three games, four third set games were quite close. “I thought I was in most of those points at the beginning of the third”

“I don’t know, when I reflect on this game, I will obviously see a little more what I could have done more, but … he played some really good points to break my serve. But putting me in that position, I shouldn’t afford it.”

In his defeat 6-2, 3-6 and 6-1 against Van de Zandschulp, Djokovic won only 29% of the points with his seconds he took out and made 14 unproven errors not forced from the right. He did not get a breakdown in the first or in the third set.

In 2023, Djokovic stayed at a match to complete the Grand Slam of the calendar year, losing only against Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. The year ended with seven titles (its greatest streak since seven of 2016) and winning its seventh Nitto ATP Finals and conquering the ATP Year-End No. 1 Presented by Pif for the eighth time, a record ..

But in 2024 he achieved his only title at the Paris Olympic Games and since then he has stayed at the gates of the 99 titles in his career.

Djokovic, who fell to 1-1 in his series Lexus ATP Head2head with Van de Zandschulp, goes to Florida for the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The 37-year-old Serbian fell to 7-4 in the season. He fell to Reilly Opelka in Brisbane’s quarterfinals before retiring after the first set of his semifinal of the Australian Open against Alexander Zverev due to an injury to the hamstrings. On his return to Doha at the end of February, the 24 times Grand Slam champion lost 7-6 (4) and 6-2 against Matteo Berrettini.