Novak Djokovic: Every Time I Had A Chance Against Murray I Missed, I Just Played Very Poorly
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It wasn’t a good Sunday for Novak Djokovic. The 4-time defending championship suffered his first loss in the last match of the ATP Finals in his career and it was also his first loss to rival Andy Murray indoors.
No. 1 was also lost and so too was any hope of ending on a high note after what had been a sub-par patch since completing the career Grand Slam at the French Open.
Djokovic had played well leading up to the finals, but against Murray, he admitted he just had a bad day.
“I just played very poorly, made a lot of unforced errors from the backhand side,” Djokovic said. “It just wasn’t my day. On the other hand, credit to Andy for being mentally tough and playing the right shots, making me play extra shots in every rally. He definitely deserved to win.”
The Serb finished winning just 59% of first serves and hit just 13 winners to an alarming 30 errors. Murray also hit 13 winners but had just 15 errors. He spoke more about the strategy in the match.
“He was just playing an extra shot back,” Djokovic added. “He was not too aggressive, but he was quite patient and constructed the point well. On the other hand, I didn’t do much from my side. Every time I would get an opportunity, I would miss. Just, as I say, too many errors. For me it wasn’t a really great match in terms of play.”
After just one title in his last seven events, Djokovic says he’s looking forward to some time off.
“Right now the goal is just to rest a little bit,” he said. “It’s been a long season, a very nice year, a lot to reflect on, a lot to take in. But, you know, it’s time to leave the racquet aside for a little bit, just recover, then I’ll start thinking about next season.
“I’m actually looking forward to have a month and a half with no tournaments. That’s something that is a luxury in the men’s tennis.”
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