After winning three matches in the lead-up to the final in Belgarde after dropping the opening set, Novak Djokovic was unable to cope with the sustained pressure from Andrey Rublev. After losing the opening set, Djokovic, riding on the adrenaline rush, won the second set in the tiebreaker. However, the Serb ran out of steam in the third set as Rublev bageled him to win his third title of the 2022 season. The Serb provided an update about his health following his dismal showing in the deciding set.
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Novak Djokovic spoke about his terrible performance in the third set
After going down in the first set early on in the match against Rublev, Djokovic made a tremendous recovery in the second set to win it in a tie-break. However, in the third set, Djokovic completely lost his rhythm and focus and was handed a bagel by the 24-year-old. In the end, Rublev won the match by 6-2,6-7,6-0 in just under two and half hours.
After the match, Djokovic spoke about feeling the same way as he felt at Monte Carlo Masters in his opening-round exit. “It’s a bit worrysome, I can only assume it’s because of the illness that hit me a few weeks ago. But I have to look at the positives, I’ve won three matches from a set down,” the Serb stated after the match.
#Djokovic said that in the 3rd set he felt like in Monte Carlo: It’s a bit worrysome, I can only assume it’s because of the illness that hit me a few weeks ago. But I have to look at the positives, I’ve won three matches from a set down.
— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) April 24, 2022
It is worth noting that Novak’s loss to Rublev was almost identical to his loss against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Monte Carlo Masters. In that match, Djokovic was slow to start off the blocks and dropped the opening set. However, he played some clutch tennis to make a tremendous comeback in the second set. However, he was out of steam in the deciding set and evidently was short of match practice.
What’s next for Djokovic?
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Despite losing the Serbian Open final against the World No.8, Rublev, Djokovic is focused on seeing the positives. According to him, it’s a good sign that he won three matches in a row after dropping the first set.
Can Djokovic regroup and find his mojo back in the upcoming tournaments in Madrid and Rome before beginning his campaign at the French Open?
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