Djokovic: "I don't remember playing against someone so aggressive and precise"
The Serbian tennis player praised Struff after suffering a tough defeat in the round of 16 at the ATP Basel.
Yesterday, Novak Djokovic suffered a tough defeat against Jan-Lennard Struff in the round of 16 of the ATP Basel. The Serbian tennis player was far from his best form, making serious errors at critical moments, although after the match he spoke to the media and wanted to give all possible credit to the German player, leaving some interesting statements.
In the second set, Djokovic committed three double faults in the decisive game, handing that set to Struff, who thrives on indoor hard courts for his playing style. The German player was impeccable on serve, approached the net when needed, and was a force with his flat shots. To make matters worse, in the tie-break of the third set he was more precise than Novak, something the Serbian player wanted to praise despite how painful this setback is.
"I don’t think the three double faults were the deciding factor. He played incredible shots and points at key moments. Maybe I could have been more aggressive on one or two points, but all the credit goes to him. I’m hurting from the loss. I don’t remember playing against someone so aggressive and precise. He was practically going for two first serves on every point. It was one of those matches," he concluded.
The ATP Finals become complicated for Djokovic
The most serious consequence of his second loss in Basel is that Djokovic has significantly complicated his participation in the ATP Finals in Turin. Currently, the Serbian player occupies the 11th position in the Race, although he is really 10th considering that Jannik Sinner will not play in this edition.
Ahead of him are players like Alex de Miñaur, Arthur Fils, or Daniil Medvedev, who are still alive in Basel and Vienna and can further distance themselves, while behind him are names like Taylor Fritz or Tommy Paul also making strong advances. Nonetheless, the Serbian player’s mind is not on that right now. "I just came off the court, so I’m still disappointed. I’ll be thinking about Paris over the next few days and hope to play better there," he finished.
What is clear is that Djokovic is required to reach the final rounds of the last Masters 1000 of the year to be able to play in Turin in two weeks. The impression he left yesterday is concerning, but if anyone can achieve this feat, it’s Novak.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Djokovic: "No recuerdo jugar contra alguien tan agresivo y preciso"