Novak Djokovic: My Body Is Overloaded, My Mind Is Not Fresh, But I’m Confident For Australian Open

Novak Djokovic finished off his incredible season Friday with a poor showing at the ATP World Tour Finals. The No. 1 ranked Djokovic won just one match going 1-2 in round robin play, and after 10 titles through the US Open, he failed to add any hardware the last two months of the season.

The Serb chalked up his disappointing London performance due to fatigue.

“It’s just that, you know, body says that it’s overload,” Djokovic said Friday after a loss to countryman Janko Tisparevic. “It’s been too much this year. Obviously mentally I feel a little bit drained, as well. I just don’t have that freshness in my mind for the matches and I don’t have these dynamics that I had in all 10 months of the year. But this is something to be expected after a year that I had. And now, if I play here, I play more. Tomorrow, if I don’t, I look forward to go for a much‑needed rest.”

With Serbia out of the Davis Cup, Djokovic will have a full month to rest for the start of the 2012 season and his Australian Open title defense.

“Comparing to last year, I’m not playing Davis Cup finals, so I will have that extra week which will give me a bit more time to rest, a bit more time to prepare,” he said. “I’m not playing any official tournament before Australian Open. I’m playing a couple exhibition matches in Abu Dhabi, maybe some in Australia, then getting ready for the Melbourne.”

But the long toll of the season had definitely left its mark.

“What is missing, as I said just a couple of minutes ago, is that freshness,” Djokovic said. “Will to win, just being on the court, giving hundred percent. I’m not able to do that now because I just have very little left. So I think I have more than enough time to get my old strength back and prepare well. So I’m sure that if I have as good of preparation as I had last year, I’m confident I can do well in Australia.

“I had an unbelievable year. Nothing can really ruin that. I will always remember this year as the best of my life. I just want to prepare well for 2012.”